
On the first episode of The Yacht Racing Podcast EXTRA, Justin Chisholm catches up with British America’s Cup sailor Matt Cornwell – a world renowned bowman with three America’s Cup cycles to his name who for the 36th America’s Cup is working as racing rules advisor to Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup challenger Ineos Team UK.
Matt may be in a supporting role this time around, but nobody knows Ainslie and the British crew better than he does or is more ideally placed to give some exclusive insider insight into how the UK team is shaping up ahead of their date with destiny on the first weekend of the Prada Cup final against their Italian rivals Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team.
There’s plenty of fascinating stuff discussed during the interview, including:
- what the atmosphere is really like in the Ineos team base in the lead up to the Prada Cup final
- what Matt’s role as rules advisor to the team entails on a day-to-day basis
- how he feels about the demise of the bowman role in this cycle of the America’s Cup
- Matt’s expert insight into how the key match racing rules work and what fans should be watching out for during the racing
- his thoughts on that super tight cross against Luna Rossa and how/why he thinks the umpires got it right
- how the Ineos sailors are coping with the threat of the infamous yellow card hanging over their heads
- what it would mean to Matt personally if the British could get past the Italians and book a place in the final of America’s Cup for the very first time in the history of the event