How the 37th America’s Cup technology revealed superhuman skill levels from the sailors

Matt Sheahan takes a look at some of the things the casual observer might not have noticed during the 37th America's Cup last year

What the eye couldn’t see was a big topic of conversation in Barcelona during the America’s Cup. With crews huddled down below the sheerline inside their individual cockpits, the only sign there were humans aboard was the tops of a few helmets.

In the images from the onboard cameras facing back at the largely expressionless helmsmen and flight controllers, we could only see below their goggles. Rarely did their facial features give anything away. Indeed, they frequently looked more like they were waiting for a bus rather than handling the fastest and most advanced sailing yachts in the world.

Even when we could see a cyclor putting in a herculean effort to provide power to keep the beast blasting along, the image did little to take us into their world of pain. It looked more like they were riding an exercise bike in the shower. So, despite this being the most extreme and technologically advanced America’s Cup to date it was the most difficult to relate to.

But there was one area that was quite the opposite. Seeing the invisible was now possible, at least for spectators who could now visualise what the sailors couldn’t: the wind.

Providing a live, visual map of the breeze as it flowed across the course brought the race track alive. Using a sophisticated LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) array that was beamed out across the course from three transmitters on the shore, CapGemini’s WindSight IQ technology revealed gusts and lulls across the entire course in real time.

In simple terms, the colour map of the breeze replicated what you might see with your naked eye from above if you were looking for the darker and lighter patches on the water. But when the breeze was below 10 knots seeing this level of detail was hard if not impossible. And even if you were on the water, spotting the difference in pressure across the course was not possible for most.

“When we started discussions with America’s Cup about sponsorship we wanted to bring some technology to the event and we asked what kind of issues they had,” explained WindSight IQ’s chief engineer Keith Williams.

“And the one that team CEO Grant Dalton mentioned straightaway was that he wanted to make the wind visible in the broadcast. The idea was to make the experience more understandable for spectators, so when a boat went left or right, the commentators could explain more easily why the skipper had made that particular decision.

“This had never been done before. Emirates Team New Zealand gave us the results of some initial work they’d carried out with University of Canterbury in New Zealand and we started from there.

“We use long range meteorological LiDARs – essentially laser beams that reflect back off objects – to allow you to measure distance and speed. In this case the LiDARs are emitting 10,000 beams/second which are reflecting back from particles that are present in the air at a range of 6-12km. The LiDARs we used are typically used for wind turbine planning where they’ll run for months to collect wind data over a large area.

“The system then works on a combination of measurement and prediction. The racecourse is divided into just under a quarter of a million cells and each of those cells is either doing a forecast of what the wind’s going to do, or it has received a measurement. So, where a cell has not received a LiDAR measurement we do a prediction.”

Article continues below…

From here the detail of how the system operates gets complex, especially when it comes to accounting for the different types and quantities of particles in the air. For example, a rain shower flushes out these particles making it harder to get good measurements.

But the reality was that throughout the Cup viewers had never seen a race course in such detail. When I was first shown the system I wondered whether it would be counterproductive and highlight how wrong teams were getting it. There’s no doubt the start line, layline and ladder line graphics now common on America’s Cup and Sail GP broadcasts have made us all armchair experts. Surely this threatened to exacerbate this?

But instead, the most fascinating thing about WindSight IQ was that it frequently did the opposite and showed us just how good these crews are.

The technology frequently showed us what sailors – travelling at 40 knots, insulated from the elements with a helmet and goggles and only seeing one side of the race track at a time – could indeed pick out with their naked eyes.

I’ve tried identifying the true wind speed and direction while riding my motorbike along the seafront and I remain in awe as to how they do it. Seeing 1-2 knots more breeze on the other side of the course while riding a runaway bus is a phenomenal skill.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post How the 37th America’s Cup technology revealed superhuman skill levels from the sailors appeared first on Yachting World.