There were Dutchmen who won it. Sometimes even several times. But never before did a Dutch team take part in the world's oldest sailing race, the America's Cup ...

Text: Gerben BijpostThis edition almost came to pass. With all hands on deck last year, the ambition of DutchSail, a joint team of Royal Sailing Clubs Muiden and De Maas from Rotterdam led by the experienced Simeon Tienpont (skipper) and Eelco Blok (CEO), to deliver. Tienpont has already won the race twice. First in 2010, when he grinder was aboard BMW Oracle Racing. Then in 2013 as boat captain of the same team, now called Oracle Team USA. And now it was to be the first time a Dutch boat would make a grab for the Auld Mug, the 170-year-old silver challenge cup that the winner of the America's cup takes home.

DUTCH SAIL

Alas, with sight of the finish line -or rather the starting line- the dream shattered. No Dutch ship will be ready at the start line in this 36th race for the world's oldest sports trophy either. The initiators just failed to raise enough money from sponsors to carry the costly project and DutchSail had to throw in the towel prematurely. It could have been so different: The Netherlands, in the person of sailor Prince Hendrik, was once the first to receive an official invitation to participate from Queen Elizabeth. But unfortunately, in the year 1851, we had other matters on our minds and the decision was made to cancel, according to minutes in the Rotterdam Maritime Museum. And although even now the fire has been put out for the time being, the coals are still glowing. And cautious anticipation of the next edition is already underway.

The Auld Mug or America's cup was first held in 1851, organised by The Royal Yacht Squadron. The name America's Cup owes it to the first winner of the race, the yacht America of The New York Yacht Club, and thus has nothing to do with the United States per se. Those who want to compete for the cup must challenge the winner, and the winner has the choice of accepting that challenge or not. If there are multiple challengers, a qualifying series will determine who gets to compete directly against the defending champion. For the upcoming race, the tally stands at three challengers, one from the United States (American Magic), one from the United Kingdom (Ineos) and one from Italy (Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli). They will compete in a qualifying series from October 2019 for the Prada Cup (formerly the Louis Vuiton Cup) and the winner will get to compete against Emirates Team New Zealand in Auckland in March 2021

POWER COMBINATION

Simeon Tienpont: "With DutchSail, we narrowly missed out on being there. We were very close to it in July 2019 and were almost on the verge of starting to build the boat and recruit the crew. But because of our initiative, the America's Cup in the Netherlands is now seriously on the radar for the first time; we have made a lot of waves. So I definitely expect this to be followed up in the coming years."

Besides, you can't call the mission a complete failure anyway, because the future is already being anticipated. Tienpont: "From DutchSail, we are now sending a youth team for the 'Youth' America's Cup. Selections are currently under way to give the best Dutch 'foiling' talents aged 17-24 a chance. We do this with us our sponsors of DutchSail, in combined strength with Sailing Holland and the sailing top sports centre of the Watersportverbond. In short, a real power combination of professional sailing Holland. That too gives me high hopes for more success in the future."

Legwork

Where that future race (2024/25) will take place and what exactly it will look like no one knows yet. Indeed, in the America's Cup, it is arranged that the winner determines the rules of the next edition and also the location where it will be sailed. The current holder - and thus defender - of the Auld Mug is Emirates Team New Zealand. That means the upcoming battle for the cup will traditionally take place in New Zealand waters. An exception to that rule is possible, by the way, when a winning team does not have suitable waters next door: according to the rules of the game, sailing must take place on the open sea or connection to it - and in summer. So when Swiss team Alinghi won the cup in 2003, the next race in 2007 was diverted to Spanish waters off the coast of Valencia.

The rules regarding the boats also vary for each race edition and are determined by the cup holder. In other words, for each edition, the teams have to design and build their own boat, complying with regulations that include dozens of pages of strict requirements, but within which innovation is allowed. This is one of the reasons why participating in the America's Cup is such a challenging, interesting, but also financially demanding (costing tens of millions) exercise.

One example of a notable innovation with which the New Zealanders surprised the competition in 2017 was cycling grinders. In itself, this was not a new phenomenon. But the New Zealanders had made the operation of the complete boat, i.e. including rudders, daggerboards and sails hydraulic, where the sails were still mainly operated by rope and winch by the other teams. An innovative and daring concept, which allowed the grinders to pedal with constant resistance, which is quite suitable for a large leg muscle (the team members reportedly included a professional cyclist). It helped ensure that the boat from New Zealand claimed victory and thus got to decide which boats will sail for the America's Cup 2021.

FASTER

Unlike the previous few editions, the choice was not a multihull catamaran, but a 23-metre monohull, the AC75, a 'normal' sailboat in other words. But one that is very, very fast. Whereas the catamarans already touched around 90 km/h in the last edition, it is expected that the AC75 which will now be sailed can be even faster. And all thanks to foils, a kind of hydrofoil mounted under the boat that lifts the craft out of the water at speed, minimising drag and making the hulls of the boats literally fly above the water.

Is the format of the America's Cup perhaps too complicated to attract enough sponsors? Tienpont: "On the contrary. This is perhaps we the most proven success formula for a sports competition. It is not for nothing the oldest running sporting event in the world. The basis is incredibly simple and consists of The Deed, which covers just one A4: a yacht club (country) wins the cup. Which writes a competition using the principles of The Deed to make it fair. And then looks for other yacht clubs to challenge it. It is precisely this unique set-up that makes this event the absolute Holy Grail for top sailors to win. It forces you to go to the limit in a three- to four-year innovation race, with the sailing race itself as the final exam."

IN CONVERSATION WITH TERRY HUTCHINSON: Skipper and tactician of American Magic.

What is the most challenging aspect of participating in the America's Cup?

There are many. But time is the most important. You have to use it wisely to gather resources, find good people, put together infrastructure, develop and test design ideas and prepare for the race itself. This time, navigating a Covid-19 world was added to that mix. That was an extra challenge.

The cup holder sets up the rules for the race. What do you think of that set-up?

This is something that sets the America's Cup apart from almost every other major international sporting event. Does setting the rules by the America's Cup Defender always lead to total fairness? If you look at history, you might have to say no. Self-interest always plays a role. But that is precisely what makes it interesting and challenging. We have to win in the challengers' selection series and then beat the defender in a game for which they wrote the rules. It is also something that has kept people interested in the cup for the past 170 years.

The rules of the America's Cup are not only complicated, they can also change with each new race edition. Don't you think this makes it too difficult to follow for a wider audience? And that simplifying the rules would make it easier for teams to find sponsorship for the race?

Sailing can be difficult to understand at first. But that is true of many sports. A big advantage of the modern America's Cup is that we have many more tools to help the public follow the race. The computer graphics added to TV broadcasts are very enlightening. I hope people tune into the right channel to watch us race next year, and that we can win new fans who will also go sailing. But I agree that simplification and consistency of format would perhaps help in finding and selling sponsorship. That inconsistency is the Achilles' heel of this event.

What is your role on board?

I am both the skipper and tactician of the team. As skipper, I oversee all aspects of our programme on and off the water. As tactician on board the AC75, I help process information and help our helmsman and the rest of the team make the best decisions from situation to situation.

This year, the teams are sailing in a monohull. Does that require a different type of sailors?

Good sailors adapt and excel at sailing, no matter what type of boat they are on. In our team, we are lucky to have a huge range of experience to draw from. We have experienced match racers, monohull sailors, cat sailors, Moth-boys, Olympians and pretty much anything you want in a group to race with. The 2010, 2013 and 2017 events were all won by outstanding sailors who came from monohulls and used their knowledge in multihulls.

Have you ever been scared, sailing at more than 90 km/h in a boat almost flying above the water?

The fact that we have some of the best designers and sailors in the world on our team gives confidence in the vessels we build. We are very focused on safety and by first launching a smaller test boat two years ago, we were able to slowly get used to the idea of a large-scale monohull with hydrofoil.

Is the role of the America's Cup in the sailing industry similar to that of Formula 1 in the car industry?

Yes, there are many similarities. The America's Cup represents the pinnacle of competitive sailing and maritime technology. Like Formula 1, we are constantly developing and testing new concepts purely to win. Some of this is changing the sport, sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ways. People watch both the America's Cup and Formula 1 to see clues about the future of both sports.

SAILING ON TIME

Garmin recently introduced the MARQ Captain: American Magic Edition. A special watch developed in collaboration with the sailing team of American Magic, one of the challengers in the America's Cup. The design of the watch primarily pays homage to the heritage of the famous sailing team. It features a navy blue silicone wristband with a red passant, the team's colours. The name of the American Magic team is engraved on the bezel and the logo is incorporated into the dial. Two special dials were further designed for the watch that are entirely focused on sailing. The analogue dial has a T-minus countdown to race day in Auckland and the digital one features a silhouette of the Defiant, the team's new monohull sailing boat. Of interest are the pre-installed Sail Grinding activities, which allow sailors to improve their athletic performance, both on the water and on land. Furthermore, the watch includes three workout sessions created in collaboration with trainers from the American Magic team. Users can choose from Race Simulation, Fitness Test and Intervals, introducing them to various training methods also used by the team. The smartwatch includes multiple sensors that monitor health and wellness functions, such as a built-in heart rate monitor and Pulse Ox. After a workout, you can read advanced training results, including running dynamics and VO2 max, with adjustments for heat and altitude changes. Moreover, there is recovery advice that allows you to train your body in the best possible way while reducing risks of injury.

Also fine: the watch includes preloaded topographic maps of Europe, support for optional BlueChart g3 sea charts, GPS navigation, marine profiles and weather forecasts including storm warnings, regatta timer, course assistance and more. You can also stream boat data to your wrist and remotely add waypoints to your chartplotter. Finally, this smartwatch is also compatible with inReach satellite communication for two-way communication and SOS assistance. In short, an ultimate watch for avid sailors. But also for anyone else who falls for its looks, as 'normal' smartwatch functions like music streaming, contactless payment, activity monitoring, sleep monitoring and smartphone notifications are of course also just available and the standby times are, as we have come to expect from this brand, again more than fine. Costs € 1750 www.garmin.nl