First it sets on computer geometry of the boat

In the port of Valencia, there are sailors who dream. With the arrival of the first new generation ships, the America's Cup fever mounts in the Spanish city. Beasts of race bichonnées as F1 by engineers and monitored as works of art by guards of the body with shaven head and dark glasses. "A vessel of the new generation is a concentrate of technology which costs 5 million," said Chris Dickson, skipper of BMW Oracle Racing team.

The team founded by billionaire Larry Ellison has a budget of 150 million euros and one of the largest bases built to host the event. Nearly 140 people, engineers, computer scientists, aerodynamicists, composite materials specialists, marketing men and crews involved in the project. Next summer, they will rub the eleven teams in the running to win the 32nd edition of "old sporting trophy in the world." "It's three years we are working on this project with some 40 engineers." "The technologies used for Auckland five years ago are completely obsolete," says Ian "Fresh" Burns, Coordinator technical of the American team.

The first of these jewels of 24 tonnes in fibre of carbon called "USA 87" was blessed by a Spanish priest, at the end of a worthy of Hollywood musical show. Boat defending the colours of the Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco has been in the water surrounded by tarpaulins hiding its intimate attributes: the shape of the keel and underwater appendages that influence his hydrodynamics.

The more fortunate teams, Oracle, Prada, Alinghi, build two substantially identical sailboats. The skippers will choose at the last minute the more efficient model. "One of the boats uses standard." "There are hundreds of improvements that can be tested in race conditions," says Ian Burns. The American challenger even with a wind tunnel at the 1: 15 scale to assess on the spot the different configurations of sails. It benefits from the powerful technical (and financial) support of BMW in the areas of digital computing and materials. Small budgets as the French Areva-K Challenge will have just a single boat.

"The key to success has not changed." This is a subtle balance between innovation and management of teams. "It is good to use budgets", summarizes Chris Dickson. The New Zealand skipper knows all the tricks of the nautical competition. In 1987, at the age of twenty-four, he was at the helm of the first challenge of the Kiwis in the history of the Cup. Today, he co-leads a team comprising 16 nationalities, under the orders of a millionaire boss known for his mouth blows and brutal decisions. Unlike Auckland, Valencia has a steady wind (thermal breeze). "The boats are optimized for these stable wind conditions." "They will probably be very close with each other", anticipates Ian Burns.

A year of testing

The sailboats of Oracle are built by a shipyard of Anacortes, a coastal town in the State of Washington (United States). They have been designed from the outset with a firm TPC structural calculation software. This specialist in computer-aided design has a status of "technology partner" of the American challenger. He found his account in these exchanges giving-giving the F1-inspired: I you will my technology for free in return for your image of technological sport.

As always, a good Class America is a learned determination computer simulation and the architects talent. Finite element modeling is for the moment unable to accurately predict the dynamic behavior of an object of great size in two fluids (air and water). All teams are therefore substantially the same way. First, it sets on computer geometry of the boat. This initial selection leads to a series of models tested in tanks specialized to find the best hydrodynamic compromise. Oracle has thus built 28 different shells across a third before the best formula. Researchers at the University of Maryland have pyre on a critical points: the veil of keel. This component metal is subject to enormous torsional stress. He argued the 20-tonne bulb used as ballast for the boat. It was manufactured by BMW in a plant specialized in fine metallurgy. "BMW connection" has also been used to improve one of the keys to the hull parameters: its resistance to deformation. "We have reduced the mass of the hull of 15 without penalizing the stiffness", says Professor Raymond Freymann, Director of research at BMW. According to this scientist, the America's Cup requires to use all the technology to the limits of the possible, otherwise the race is lost in advance ".

In fact, serious things start now. Competitors have a year of testing before the start of the playoffs. The Louis Vuitton Cup will designate the challenger who will be opposed to the holding of the trophy, the Swiss Alinghi. Is eight hours of navigation by day, hundreds of tricks and modifications will be tested by crews on ships packed with sensors and electronics. "At sea, we can measure more than 200 parameters at the same time," summarizes Ian Burns. Bertrand Pacé, lining of Chris Dickson in the American team, expected him also this great day. "The professionalization of the teams is obvious." "Technology is good but it's not all" tersely summarized the French skipper who will be playing his seventh America's Cup.