Here the team go through a series of grinding erg tests to check on their progress.

Ac75 grinders job. By having grinders sailor skill and planning are still required. The technology is new as is the concept and even the language that the crew use to communicate so how do the crews handle an AC75. Americas Cup AC75 in numbers.

It all makes weight management a much tougher job than with. Grinder sailing position A grinder is a crew member on a yacht whose duties include operating manual winches called coffee grinders that raise and trim the sails and move the boom. As with the AC72 the vexed issue with the Code Zero is that in displacement mode the Extra is required in marginal conditions to get the AC75 up to foiling speed but once the AC75 is up and foiling the sail is an impediment as the apparent wind comes forward very.

The spectacle of an AC75 at speed in flight is breathtaking but to learn to fly these boats at speeds that have rarely been achieved has meant that teams have had to climb a near vertical learning curve. Whilst the batteries control the main foils and rudders everything above the waterline including every sail control is powered by the onboard grinders using pedestals supplied. They are constantly grinding to pump up the hydraulic pressure that is expended to operate the various parts of the boat.

Every manoeuvre on an AC75 is complex - G-Forces hit team members during turns waves crash water on board and all of this happens while a team is trying to outsmart and outwit a competitor. Although the teams first AC75 is not expected to be launched until July the candidates for the sailing team are hard at work turning their bodies from cyclors to grinders. The absence of the big set-piece choreographed manoeuvres such as setting dowsing and gybing spinnakers with 16-man crews has led some to believe that the modern Cup sailor has little to do except wind on the handles.

One design mast tube. Theres a perception that most of the new Americas Cup sailors do nothing but grind. In the 36th edition of the Americas Cup the role of the grinder is more important than ever before.

It is a physically demanding role with a significant impact on a racing yachts overall performance. At 50kts moving the foil arms against the flow of water can require vast amounts of power. The onboard demands and crew responsibilities of the 35th Americas Cup put a premium on power endurance and mental toughness.