Itʼs the all-carbon clutch from an AC75 grinder pedestal which allows genuinely seamless gear changes.

Ac75 grinding. The AC75 is not expected to be foiling until windpeeds of 9kts while its predecessor the AC50 could sail at four times the speed of the wind at just 6kts of breeze. They are constantly grinding to pump up the hydraulic pressure that is expended to operate the various parts of the boat. AC75 class boats are powered by both human energy and battery power.

The AC50s use hydraulic accumulators to power the various systems on the boats like winches and daggerboards. Developed by Harken and refined into two new models for the current Americaʼs Cup cycle Harken True- Clutch can handle more than 1000Nm of torque and yet the whole assembly weighs just one kilo. 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.

Nope itʼs not a next generation super bike clutch. 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. In the coming Americas Cup the AC75 rule requires the sailors to power the control of the soft wing mainsail and the headsail along with legal rig adjustments like the runners but allows.

Theres a perception that most of the new Americas Cup sailors do nothing but grind. Although the boats will be foiling most of the time it is going to be incredibly important to have a hull which gets you foiling as quickly as possible Bernasconi says. 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.

The AC75 class boats are powered by both human energy and battery power. INEOS Team UK relaunched its first AC75 Britannia 1 in the UK in the first week of June. The double skin mainsail probably requires a dedicated trimmer.

So in a nod to the past where the grinders powered winches the AC50s require manual pumps to power the boat systems. 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. The AC75 Class Rule forbids self-tacking headsails and requires that the crew must unload a sheet from one winch and load the other sheet onto another winch during tacks and gybes.