France is the sixth team in the America’s Cup: Orient Express Racing Team sails for the first time

Orient-Express-Sailing-Team-Americas-Cup

Orient Express Racing Team sails for the first time, America’s Cup has its sixth claimant

With the maiden sail of their beautiful French AC40 yacht, the Orient Express Racing Team base at the western end of the Port Vell became an operational sailing base the day before yesterday. The date has a very important historic value since it marks the 170^th anniversary of the first running of what would become the America’s Cup back in 1851.

On August 22nd, 1851, in fact, the first race around the Isle of Wight kicked off, with the French yacht ‘America’ being fitted out at a government shipyard in Le Havre before setting sail to beat the best of the British fleet.

However, it was only 100 years later, more precisely in 1970, that the first challenge was launched under the ‘Tricolour’ flag of France by Baron Bich who, Italian by birth, made his fortune with the famous BIC ballpoint pen. Challenges from France came thick and fast through the period of the 12 Metre era, into the IACC generation and then into the catamarans. In 2021, the French chose not to enter but now they are back with an exciting, youthful and very determined challenge.

Indeed, Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet, after taking charge of their AC40, braved a glassy sea and the almost total absence of wind in a short practice session just off the beach in Barcelona. In these conditions and without becoming discouraged, Orient Express Racing Team hoisted the sails and tried to catch a few puffs to get the boat taking off, which, rising on foils, marks an important new chapter for French sailing.

After the short but fruitful training session, a beaming as much as determined Quentin Delapierre said: “We just need to take it step by step, take the days after days and just solve problems, find ideas, new ideas will be helpful, and yeah I don’t want the team to rush themselves and try to like catch the others because they are, I mean, so many sailing sessions in front of us and we just have to make it simple, be really focused on what are the essentials and yeah make it happen in Villanova with the boat in good shape and able to just race the Villanova racing.”

“A pretty good feeling actually. It’s been one and a half weeks since we received the AC40, and the team had a big push just to the commissioning and solve the little problem we had, so really good feeling today to sail the boat – added Quentin Delapierre, co-helmsman of Orient Express Racing Team – Today I was surprised, really flat water but also really light so we just managed to foil, I mean get on the foil, and with the RIB towing the yacht we were able to do it and the feeling onboard was really good but I know that in Barcelona will not be the same every day, we will have choppy waves and some swells so yeah we have to be prepared for those conditions but I’m really impressed about the autopilot I never saw something like this, the boat was really steady, and yeah really impressed.”

Led by Stephan Kandler, the Orient Express Racing Team is under no illusions just how hard it will be to be competitive at the upcoming Regatta in Vilanova i La Geltrú, but the French are renowned as being some of the best racing sailors in the world and with the current generation of talent supported by experienced heads in the team such as Franck Cammas, the learning curve will be steep but rewarding.

Luca D'Ambrosio

Editor-in-chief, boat tester and journalist. Luca began sailing at an early age with his father then as an adult discovered sailing regattas and offshore racing. He has been working in publishing for more than 30 years and continues to sail incessantly, especially aboard the editorial staff's boat, an old lady of the seas that he has completely rebuilt and which serves excellently as a "mobile laboratory" for The International Yachting Media.