34th America's Cup: multihulls!

34th AC

I liked the way the Artemis Team did the foil-up across the finish line..

 

Do I have the wrong glasses?

As an avid sailor I thought I have to give the AC a try and watched some of the videos. They looked very funny to me. I saw little creatures from mars, hopping back and forth on the boat like on a mattress. The last time I saw something similar was during a motorcycle race, when after an accident the driver ran away from his bike, in fear of an exploding gas tank. If you watch the Olympics, even a novice can admire the aesthetic bodies of the athletes. I did not find anything comparable in these videos. I know, the heydays of sail are over, but was yachting not once a gentlemen's sport?
If I were sailing like that, I would have the feeling to ridicule myselfe.
I am wondering if I am the only one who feels like that.

 

I suppose some people might see that as the highlight of another very dull
event.

 

34th AC

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I didn't find it dull at all......

 

I'm ok with the appearance of the crews and the type of boats in the event.

I just find it as boring as watching time trials because there hasn't been any
close racing. It's just a money pissing contest with no real possibility of
comparing seamanship and sailing ability on a fair head-to-head basis.

 

I am intrigued at the foiling gybe mechanics. Artemis does seem to have trouble staying on foils during the gybe and as such seems to lose lots of speed. IIRC the Kiwis and the Italians weren't foiling during gybes in New Zealand and I know I got excited when I saw ETNZ foil gybe at San Fran.

Anyway it seems to me that Artemis is having trouble and overloading the rear foil - it is too small or needing modification in another way? - I am not sure but I hope they sort it out soon. They seem to have good upwind speed so did they make their foils a little too optimised for upwind sailing at a detriment to their downwind speed?

What I find very interesting about the AC is the paradigm shift from hull shape considerations to foils. For most of the AC the designers like Sparkman and Stevens and for us Lexcen were all about hull shape and the rigs and sails were vital but of less importance. They were much easier to modify whereas the choice of hull shape is hard to alter.

Now we have a paradigm where we are not talking hull shape much anymore but appendages - wings, wing end plates, J joils and Rudder winglets all seem to be the dominant factors. Not much use to me building a small cruising cat but interesting nonetheless.

What I do find very interesting is the close video of the construction side of things. Seahorse magazine used to do a great job of detailing nice aspects of deck gear set up and I use the videos to watch the sailing and also look at how the boats are built - soft loops instead of stainless U bolts on the prodder are one instance - this will certainly trickle down to my boat.

Put me down as a very interested watcher. I have a lot to learn from such great sailors and great builders.

cheers

Phil

 

Agreed, Catsketcher Phil, an education to observe and to be impressed by.
Some of the comments from the peanut eaters; you would believe these dingalings (and even more so over at Sailing Anarchy) have mastered everything sail, have encyclopedic knowledge and years experience of everything foil and wing. Ha.
I don't think they realize what is actually happening in front of them; kind of like pearls before swine.

 

As I was watching the slow-motion video, I had this perhaps silly idea that rowing mechanisms, where the muscles of the hands AND the feet of the athletes are utilized, would be more effective to feed the hydraulics...Is there any rule against the use of such a thing in sailboats ?

 

In the past, one of the Australian 12's had below deck cycle-type winching - but although a lack of windage gain was made, apparently no one could see what was going on, also became very heated in an enclosed space, so idea was dropped.
But everything and anything is possible, especially with the directions these avant-garde 72's have revealed (smashed apart).

 

Shortened bow spirit, self tacking jib onboard boat 2. From Shannon Falcone's Instagram.

 

34th AC

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I didn't know this, but one of the announcers mentioned today that Artemis is using small rudder lifting foils since, apparently, they didn't have time to make a larger version. It was opined that that was the foiling gybe problem since all the other boats have significantly larger rudder foils.

 

I didn't say you did, Doug. I'm suspect that you'd find a tricycle race exciting if
the conveyances were fitted with foils.

I also accept that there will always be some blow-outs in some series, but we
haven't had one close race yet. That's not a good look for the event so far.

 

Do you think that tweaking a little here and there is likely to make up the huge
margins in the events we have seen so far?

 

Leo, whats your idea of a close race time or in distance? one of the problems at present is the difference in speed overall.

Who knows what the finals is going to produce it could be close or as one sided again. We all will see when the finals are under way.

 

34th AC

It means absolutely nothing ,Leo. This class is in it's infancy, it's technology beyond anything anyone has any familiarity with, all combined in the most extraordinary sailboat class in the history of the AC. With time, things will get better. Of course, I think it's pretty damn cool now......