RB3 | Performance, Operations and Support Squad

INEOS Britannia’s brand new AC75 - coded named RB3 until her naming ceremony - has been getting steadily closer to the water for the past couple of weeks. The first journey was under covers from the Hythe build facility of Carrington Boats to Turweston Aerodrome, the team’s F1-style “factory”, where she was fitted out.

The next stage was a long road trip (courtesy of shipping partners GAC Pindar) from Turweston to the team’s Barcelona base. After a few days of intensive preparation inside the shed, RB3 was rolled out into the Spanish sun, where the mast was stepped for the first time.

All this was exciting enough, and with four of the Cup boats now out in the open, the design teams are very busy comparing their work of the past two years with everyone else’s… but nothing really compares to the next journey – from the apron to the water.

“It’s been a long and intensive journey from design through the build in Hythe, up to Turweston for fitout and then down here to Barcelona for final assembly and commissioning,” said Jeff Causey, Boat Operations Manager.

“We have an awesome facility and an incredibly talented team in Barcelona. Everything we've done here is purposeful and iterative, built on the lessons we've learned this campaign with T6 and from the last campaign with our AC75s in Portsmouth and Auckland. The shore team have been thrilled to receive RB3 from build to finish getting her ready for launch, and we are now looking forward to handing the keys over to the Sailing Team to see what this machine can do.

Every Cup cycle has distinct phases of the campaign, and when we put RB3 in the water it will be the start of the ultimate one for us in AC37. These final months are almost always both the most exciting and also the most difficult. Our team have put in a monumental effort to get us to this point already, and now it's time to put our shoulders down for the final push. Everyone is ready."

"Giles Scott, co-helm of INEOS Britannia, is relishing the challenge ahead. 'This is a very exciting period in the campaign. An effective and efficient development program over the next few months will almost certainly decide what’s likely to be a very tight competition – but we’re ready, ready for the final and most important stage in our challenge,' he said.

'A big thank you from the sailing squad to the whole team that’s got us to this point – the designers, performance, operations, support, and marcoms. So many people and so much hard work. Getting out on the water for the first time will be a very special moment. And we’re sure this is a very special boat.'"