America's Cup sailed with Multihulls

Cost of AC boats too high?

Is it not a fact that the lucky ones sailing in an AC regatta have not had to empty their own pockets to supply the boats that they sail? The sponsors are the mega wealthy Designer Label high fashion manufacturers that have ripped me off over the years via my wife's shopping tastes. And luxury car makers, does any one feel sorry for BMW?
I say let them give some of their fat profits back to the sports community, albeit a very select one.
We could limit the AC boats to 30ft. overall as a development class, or as some have suggested a one-design. Maybe sailed in identical Mumm 30's. That should allow very much more people into the competition, in theory, but then it would not have the support of the above-mentioned mega sponsors.
It would then no longer be the pinnacle of the sport, but just another world championship. Without the unlimited money currently available to the team of designers working for each syndicate we would not be as likely to see new developments that filter down to elite level ocean racing.
The problem with the spectacle of AC yachting being largely ignored is the same problem as for all yachting events. Which countries had live telecasts of any yachting races on free to air TV during the last Olympic games? We havn't seen a minute of Olympic yachting live for at least a decade in Australia. Obviously some-one knows that the audience would rather watch equestrian dressage for hours on end.

 

Why not say, nothing bigger than 60 feet, and each boat can't cost more than, say, $800,000. That's it. Bring what ya got. Unlimited boats per team, as many or few sailors as needed. A windsurfer might win! A sandbagger could win! That could be cool. Everybody overboard at the windward mark! Might open things up a tad. Be more true to the original spirit of the AC too.

Paul

 

Peter Wormwood comments

....courtesty of Scuttlebutt...a comment by an old friend of mine

* From Peter Wormwood: As a long time sailor (and sometimes designer) of
multihulls, I can say that the America 's Cup probably will always
belongs to monohulls. As Bob Merrick accurately pointed out, modern
multihulls are very tactical, but the tactics are different than
monohull sailors are used to. To make the shift, the sailors would have
to learn a new way to play the game. Since they're having fun with the
game they have, why change it. That having been said, I can also tell
you that, having sailed some of the finest multihulls afloat, I've
noticed two different attitudes about multihulls - there are those who
dislike them and have negative comments about them, and there are those
who love them. The latter group is entirely composed of those who have
actually sailed on one! I would say to critics of multihulls that, to
avoid looking very foolish in print, you may want to sail on a modern
performance multihull before commenting - you may discover that you have
a whole different set of comments once you have the experience to know
what you are talking about...

Brian added, You might have a look thru his website
http://www.wormwood.com/WormwoodPerformanceYachtsDesigner.html
http://www.wormwood.com/WormwoodPerformanceYachts67.html

 

Im with brian on this. I have sail opn both and enjoy both for what they offer. And having been a student of both schools of sailing they both bring a different style. Now when it comes to the AC i think if you want to have a pure reace fine and dandy. But if the multi hulls are winning done get sore about your not wanting to change sailing styles to "keep up with the Jones".

 

I vote for the return of the J boats.

With the usual AC deep pockets there is a better chance of inovation with the J's in competition than a bunch of big Hoby Cats.

AC has never been about/for the "common man" , its about deadly serious competition , by folks that have different budgets .

FAST FRED

 

...courtesy of Scuttlebutt

* From John Harwood-Bee:
Keep multihulls out of the AC. Let the purists have
the circus and let fans of multihulls find our own playgrounds on which to
perform. AC is akin to F1 racing. Frequently boring, often led by the same
vehicle (vessel) and incredibly expensive. Multihulls are more like Le Mans
sports cars. Faster, more exciting and built for endurance. Each has its own
supporters (and detractors) although I have found the prejudice in yachting
mostly one way. Monohull aficionados would die rather than sail a Cat and
some display an air of acquired superiority. Mutihull sailors enjoy and
appreciate both but get the best kicks from the pure energy of two or more
hulls. I feel sorry for those who refuse to try it.

As a young boy I started sailing in Hornets. A lucky invitation to sail a
Shearwater Cat converted me. Then it was a Tornado as well as a series of
cruising cats. As a dedicated multihull fan I am delighted to see that
despite a few hiccups in the past couple of years, the hulls are flying
again. The success of the Volvo Extremes, the new breed of 'G' class boats
and the events professionally planned for the next five years will I am
sure, gain a new enthusiastic audience as well as serious sponsorship.
Rather than attempt to muscle in on the AC we must seize the opportunity to
create our own more exciting competitions

 

How can anyone say that the new 'massed-starts' or fleet-races with the AC boats are boring? Or that a tight AC boat match-race is boring? Then - they have missed the point and don't understand sailing. It doesn't need to be done at 25knts to be interesting.

Any of you watch Cricket??? Strategy and patience.

I witnessed a (pre) Olympic tornado event on Sydney Harbour - we were stationed near the 'gate' and at the end of one tacking-leg and the pass through the gate - BAAANG! Scrape SNAP!! I have never seen so much free-floating fiberglass (rudders, peices of hull, people) not to mention the swearing, shouting, abuse, scrapes, chips, torn pieces... These racers were the best - I don't see how you would avoid this with bigger boats. In a way it was funny. Skillful? It was exciting.

The 'Round the Island Race' (Isle of Wight) with the open 40's? looked perfect course for multi-hulls with plenty of room.

 

Quoting Brian Eiland citing Scuttlebutt's letter from John Harwood-Bee:
"Keep multihulls out of the AC. Let the purists have
the circus and let fans of multihulls find our own playgrounds on which to
perform. Rather than attempt to muscle in on the AC we must seize the opportunity to create our own more exciting competitions."

Let's keep the 40+ years of Little Amerca's Cup history and tradition, but remane it. As a start get rid of the diminutive "Little". Then get a world or oceanic flavor to the name rather than a country or continent.

 

Mono or multi, the AC is getting to be extremely expensive and the rule prohibits any significant innovation. Try something radical and it either won't qualify for the race, or the rules will be changed to prohibit it next year.
Tungsten is now the material of choice for keel bulbs- 1.7 times denser than lead and far more expensive. It's also so hard to work (you need 3370 degrees C to melt it) as to be completely unfeasible for anyone on a reasonable budget. Perhaps adding cats and tris to the AC might not suit everyone, but I do think the rule needs to be loosened up to encourage innovative new designs instead of allowing only very expensive and very minor improvements to existing designs.

 

Photos

A recent posting (with a good photo) here,
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?p=128811#post128811
prompted me to find a couple of old photos I had saved

 

Upstarts breaking into an aristocrat's game with better technology during a revolution in sailing science and practice: it could happen again, but it would be as big a leap culturally and psychologically now as it has been each time it has happened in the history of the AC.

Paul

 

Boost to Multihull Image

Just found the remainder of the article for those interested.

I was heavy into the multihull business (just imported the Dragonfly 25 tri from Denmark two years before, and the Fountain/Pajot Louisiana 37 catamaran the year before) about the time this race and controversy arose, so naturally I was real excited about the exposure it might give the multihull movement.

I did think the catamaran folks went a little to the extreme with their choice of the wing-sailed 60 foot cat. Hell, a jazzed-up 23 foot Stiletto catamaran might well have beat that monster monohull. But it was exciting press :!:

I think they were worried about the extremely light air conditions that can be very prevelant in San Diego.

A test for some of the older members. Do you know who built the wing-sail :?:

 

McCreedy, Rutan, et al?

I still think the AC should be sailed with anything you can bring to an around island race, sailed solo. This way, an eccentric aristocrat could bring a $150,000 windsurfer to the starting line, against, say, an ORMA 60. Or an Open 60.

The protest hearings would be televised. If anyone survives.

Paul

 

The America's Cup is the America's Cup. If you want something different start it. If you think the current layout is so bad, well let it die and something else may take it's place.
There have been changes and there will be more in the future but a radical change like introducing Multihulls would lose a lot of supporters, if Multi hullers want a race like the AC, start one and see how it goes, though then apparently there have been attempts and they have not done so well, if so, why? Maybe he general public is not interested in them, or has not had a chance to see them in action racing?

 

Burt Rutan, that guy involved with all kinds of flying machines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan
http://www.scaled.com/

I understand your sentiments, and agree with you somewhat. But I feel the AmCup has gotten so EXPENSIVE that after the current crop of mega-millionaires thrown in the towel, the AmCup as it is now will be no more.

Just recently I introduced a new design, and in doing so I went back to this quote I had saved from Gary Hoyt;
"Sail, the historic implement of world exploration, has within itself many new horizons that beckon for pursuit, but you have to be willing to venture past charted waters." - Gary Hoyt

This quote from Gary Hoyt has never been more illuminating than today, when I introduce a new motorsailing design that sports 'another unusual sailing rig'. An inventive and resourceful gentleman, Tom Perkins, has 'ventured past charted waters' to bring us a modern version of the old square-rigger, the DynaRig. He has done it in a big way with a real-life 'proof-of-concept' aboard his innovative and fabulous new 290' superyacht, Maltese Falcon.

Sure would like to find more money in these type of projects than the millions poured into AmCup