BAR personnel

BAR sailed the same speed as NZ when they were in close proximity.
This indicates to me that boat speed was equal. NZ are sailing a better course and winning more starts.
That is one reason they won probably due to easier to use technology.
Leg muscles are stronger than arm muscles so they also expend less energy. Leaving more for sailing the boat.
But the other is that British culture shuns thinking outside the box.
Creative inventive thinkers are put down as stupid in the UK.
That attitude will always lead to failure in technical events.
The problem is with the whole UK who only respect bankers and University graduates who are not often the most technically creative. That is why the iPhone is American and Elon Musk is sucessful in America.
The UK probably has the most creative brains in the world but they are wasted un the UK.
To win the AC Ben needs to employ the crackpots with the mad ideas.
My first design when I started sailing was for a winged keel.
I did not patent it because I knew it would be a waste of time in the UK.

Not thinking outside the box is why Ben Ainslie lost.

Much smaller budget, too. Not convinced there are fewer "thinkers" on the team. Almost too many, rather than NZ's quite conservative approach. Cycles were a risk which paid off, but other than that, they have simply sailed well.

Was really impressed by the last race they won. Went to yoga before the last loss, but gather it was lost on the start. BA won plenty of them, though, and you can't win them all at this level.

"Creative inventive thinkers are put down as stupid in the UK."

Well, I guess a lot of post-mortem activity will now take place amongst BAR. I do hope the next cup will be in the same boats as I have found them exciting and also believe there is a ton more potential to master them better next round. Its clear the AC50's are quite different to theAC45's in the ACWS and its a shame that there really wasnt enough time for any team to really master these new beasts. The time given to practice as ruled by the ACEA was definitely inadequate and probably contributed to the rather scarey accidents/incidents that happened.

Notl: I remember reading that MITI (the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry) issued a report a few years back which assessed the Brits as among the most creating and original thinkers in the world in both Art and Science.

Our problem is that all too often we Brits are incapable of bringing new inventions to market without foreign investment = ownership, not to mention being able to run a big manufacturing corporation effectively.

And now we don't seem to do politics very well either...