"The advantage that the Challengers have to race among themselves while measuring and improving their performance is a big one," says Alinghi helmsman Peter Holmberg.

 

For the Defenders, watching three brand new boats from three strong teams head out onto the race course each day must be tough. Even for a team that has a pair of very fast boats with impressive speed reserves, there is no substitute for real action on a live race course.

 

There is little doubt that when the big three square up against each other later in Louis Vuitton Act 10, each will be scrutinising the relative performances in minute detail. While each team will have a good idea of the performance they expect from their new boats, the racing will help to reinforce indications that testing gives about a boat's performance.

 

For Alinghi, sailing a boat designed in 2002 and one they know a great deal about on paper and afloat, assessing the performance of others will be easier.

 

Alinghi

"There are advantages in being out there and racing a new boat hard, you'd certainly learn a lot," says Holmberg. "The fact that we don't have our new boat afloat yet does mean we can go out and measure performance accurately. Yes, that's a bonus for us, but it's not a deal breaker."

 

When it comes to the new boats squaring up to Alinghi, the Defenders would appear to hold the upper hand. If the new boats lose to the Swiss who are sailing their old boat, there will doubtless be serious questions asked within the various camps. If, on the other hand the new boats beat SUI-75, the Cup holders can quickly justify the result by accepting that the new boats are faster. It’s an enviable win/win for the Swiss.

 

Little surprise then that some of the teams are already talking of their second boat being faster, an attempt perhaps to unsettle the competition.

 

But whether you're a Challenger or Defender, timing is crucial.

 

“There's always lots of speculation behind the timing of launches but as a Defender there's a well defined time line and we just work backwards with all our design dates and production dates. We don't base it around the Acts," says Holmberg.

 

But perhaps the biggest task for the Defender is that of producing a boat that is faster than its existing rocket ship, SUI-75. When you've been the best for so long, improving can be a mission in itself.

 

"Our task is to make our new boat faster than the old. We can do it. It’s simply an issue of good, careful and precise testing and data collection. We're comfortable doing that."