AC75: Individual roles come together to make a solid team

The crew aboard the Orient Express Racing Team's AC75 are a close-knit group, with each individual having a specific role to play — and all working together to create a formidable racing unit.

Simply put the three main activities taking place on these high-speed foiling machines are steering, trimming and generating power. The crew of eight is comprised of two helmsmen, two trimmers and four cyclors — a contraction of cyclist and sailor, the power generators — split equally on each side of the boat.

Skipper Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet are the helmsmen or 'pilots' of these flying machines, sitting on the starboard and port side of the boat respectively. The helmsman not actively steering the boat is in charge of tactics, keeping an eye on conditions and the competition. With the mainsail reaching all the way down to the deck, separating the boat and blocking vision, clear communication between them is vital.

In the case of Quentin and Kevin the pair have been close friends for many years, racing with and against each other on numerous occasions, and Quentin is godfather to Kevin's young son.

Sitting immediately in front of them on each side are trimmers Matthieu Vandame, on the starboard side, and Jason Saunders, port, each responsible for sail trim and also controlling the flight of the AC75 on its foils and flaps.

As Matthieu explains: "If you look at the boat from the side, you see four people on the same line. You have to imagine the same thing on the other side. On our AC75s we operate symmetrically from one side to the other. The sailors don't move. Our positions are fixed.

"So you have a forward cell made up of a trimmer and a helmsman; then you see the aft cell, with two cyclists."

The cyclors — also known as power sailors or V8s — are crucial to the AC75s performance in what is a demanding role requiring enormous effort.

"Basically, the role of this cell is to turn the pedals that drive a hydraulic pump, putting oil under pressure," says Matthieu. "This oil is then used in all the rams that control everything above deck. This energy is required for everything to do with trimming the sails and pivoting the mast."

Such are the demands on the power sailors that their unit is made up of eight athletes — Antoine Nougarède, Francois Pervis, Germain Chardin, Maxime Guyon, Olivier Herlédant, Rémi Verhoeven, his brother Thibaut Verhoeven, and Timothé Lapauw — who are rotated between each race with four on board and four in recovery.

The communication system on board is also bespoke and sophisticated, as Matthieu explains: "We are equipped with an audio communication system built into our helmets. This is crucial.

"In practice, when the front cell speaks, everyone hears. The power sailors have their own communication loop that we can't hear up front. The cyclor managers, Tim and Olivier, can interact with the forward cell to give information about the power. Communication must be limited and efficient."

Clear goals and clear communications offer the route to success.