
The arrival, fitting out and then the launch and first sail of our AC75 here in Barcelona was of course an emotional moment for the whole Orient Express Racing Team, as well as a celebration of our successful arrival at a milestone in the project. While the hull design is part of a technological partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand, finally seeing it in our colours with our branding was still a real moment of excitement and a tribute to the 46,000 manhours of work put in by our team at Multiplast who worked 6am to 10pm every day except Sunday for more than six months.
All the AC75s have changed radically since the last America's Cup, and we believe we have a good boat and a competitive all-round package; ours weighs in at six tonnes, which is a tonne less than an Imoca. All the systems inside the boat – from the hydraulics and mechatronics to the electronics and software data systems – are unseen but critical. We have three hydraulic systems onboard: one for raising and lowering the foils; one for adjusting the rudder and flap; and the third for sail trimming – all ultimately driven by the ‘power group’.
Most of the teams anticipate some light-air conditions as well as waves when racing off Barcelona, so it is finding the right balance. There is no doubt some boats will do better than others in certain conditions, but unless someone has discovered a unique advantage the racing is going to be close.
Our performance in the pre-regattas and SailGP events has shown that while we still have much to learn, we can hold our own. If our boat is competitive in the America’s Cup itself we believe we can compete against anyone.

It did not take long following the christening of France’s 2024 America’s Cup challenger for their new AC75 to be up on her foils for tow-testing of foils and systems. Multiplast did an extraordinary job delivering a new AC75 in less time (yet more man-hours) than it takes to build a much simpler Imoca. The Orient Express Racing Team’s design is identical to Team New Zealand’s Defender but with customisation of foils, systems and layout. The technical challenges in learning to race an AC75 are huge but, make no mistake, this team – especially the sailing team – looks a much stronger competitive proposition than other recent French Cup programmes have
We have the youngest Challenger team and were the last to launch our Cup campaign, but our results to date suggest we have done everything right to catch up. And youth brings fresh minds to the event. At the same time multiple Cup-winner Glenn Ashby has joined us as an advisor and brings great expertise to the team, so we have a balance there as well.
The America's Cup is short and long at the same time. It could all be over in a week so our goal is to get out of the Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins and on into the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals and perhaps beyond. Let’s see.
Anything can happen out on the racecourse, and there is perhaps less pressure on us compared with some of the other teams. Everyone has to find their own path and ours has necessarily been simple and efficient.
Looking to the future
We made the early decision to fully integrate the youth and women's teams alongside the Challenger team from the very beginning. This allows them the opportunity to absorb everything that is going on inside the base, experience all the pressures, learn from face-to-face communication, and of course they are using the same simulators and have access to the same support staff and facilities.
We are also looking to the future, and we anticipate a few surprises – as Stephan Kandler has said, the young sailors have grown up in a new sailing world and some have been ‘born with wings’. Their full integration, along with the autonomy to do their own thing, is establishing a pathway to the future.
With that in mind we are also adapting to the changes in the America's Cup world over the past 10 years, with its increasing parallels with the aerospace industry. Our engineers are on a comparable level and they are solving challenges that can be transferred to the broader maritime world.
And a new home
This was in part behind the longterm alliance we entered into with Lorient Agglomération – a collaborative organisation of 25 municipalities around Lorient, which is now an official supplier to all three Orient Express teams and a technological partner of K-Challenge and K-Challenge Lab.
Lorient’s new Péristyle eco-neighbourhood will be our new base starting early in 2025, right in the heart of an area focused on hightech energy, digital and ecological products. With the area’s deep roots in ocean racing, it will quickly feel like home. We are a new team of course, so having a base for the future is a real change from previous campaigns — we won’t be disappearing after this America’s Cup.
This has always been our plan, Stephan and I share a longterm vision. If you want to keep the engineers, the sailors, and their knowhow, and the momentum going forward, a base is essential. And Lorient is perfect for us.
A lot could happen in the next few years in the maritime world, the challenges are there and we can play a part in meeting them. The hydrogen chase boat we have to develop for the Cup is a great example, with obvious applications in the wider maritime transport world that we will be developing with our partners.
At times it feels like only yesterday when we set out on this journey. But then you look at what we have achieved and we can all feel proud to have made it this far and be in such good shape for what lies ahead. The final Preliminary Regatta starts here in Barcelona in only a few weeks, the final chance to test our preparations before the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup itself... and then the Youth and Women’s competitions.
We are optimistic about our chances against teams who have had far longer on the water. We have confidence in the skills and talent of everyone in the Orient Express Racing Team, and confidence too that we can display it when it matters…
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