34th America's Cup: multihulls!

34th AC----- umpire boats

From Scuttlebutt today:

EITHER A PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY

On-the-water umpiring is now the standard for match racing. But when the
boats are too fast for high speed RIBs, then there is either a problem...
or an opportunity either a problem... or an opportunity. That is the
reality for the 34th America's Cup and its catamaran platforms.

The Pressure Drop website got a peek behind the scenes while the crews
working out the kinks during last week's trials and testing on SF Bay. Here
is Umpire in Chief Mike Martin for a round of Q and A's!

* How did the week work out overall?

Mike Martin: "These test sessions are always valuable. We get to test all
the systems and work out any bugs that we might find. It is great to do
this before the first competition begins. Like all of the teams, ORACLE
Racing really wants the AC World Series to be a great new circuit so they
were very open to trying new ideas and race courses to see what works."

* The umpires on the (jet)ski's are retired Seals, are they also sailors?

Mike Martin: "Yes. David Blackman was a college sailor at the US Naval
Academy and is an active sailor in Southern California. Ryan Cox also went
to the Naval Academy and was multi-time college All American as well as
college sailor of the year in 1995."

* What's the chance they will be able to keep up with 72's in 3-4 ebb chop
and 25 plus knots?

Mike Martin "That is the question that we all are asking. Not just for the
jet ski, but also for a RIB or any reasonably sized powerboat. That is why
the electronic system is so promising. We will be testing different
approaches like having the Ump Boats in different stations around the
course and then the yachts sail to them instead of umpire boats chasing the
yachts."

* ACRM seemed to be focused primarily on a reaching start, can we
anticipate that will be utilized on the 72's?

"In our testing the reaching starts have been very popular with the
sailors, the spectators and the ACEA broadcast team. Our plan is to use
these for the AC World Series. We will see how it goes before we make a
decision on the finish AC course configuration."Full report/photos: http://tinyurl.com/PD-062611

http://www.americascup.com/

 

Stadium Sailing Concept

As the country celebrated Independence Day, American Terry Hutchinson on board Artemis Racing went in to the final race with an 8 point lead after heading the leaderboard for most of the past 5 days - but lost in the final leg of the final race of the final day. An enthralled US non-sailing public turned out in spades to watch up close what was probably one of the biggest ever on-site American audiences for a sailing event, estimated at 55,000 over the five days. The Stadium concept developed for the Extreme Sailing Series certainly engaged a largely non-sailing audience in Boston

http://tinyurl.com/ESS-070411

 

34th AC

Camera boat for the new AC(from front page SA):

-click on image-

 

34th AC

Read the Sail-World article here about how Team NZ is using two SL33's so that they can carry out two boat testing under the rule:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/sl-33-pete-melvin-built-hakes-38322.html post #11

 

34th AC

New weekly video update-some great sailing shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twhiFlNupoc&feature=youtu.be

 

34th AC

From Kimball Livingston tonight in Scuttlebut:

STATE OF PLAY

Beyond aerodynamic efficiency, wings bring one special, not so obvious
quality to multihull sailing - flotation. The forward element and each of
three flaps in the aft element of an AC 45 wing are airtight and buoyant.
As long as the wing stays in place, the boat will not turn turtle. Think
thin, clear plastic film heat-shrunk over super-light, Nomex-cored carbon
frames.

I'm figuring the rest of America's Cup 34 floats, too, but that's not for
lack of doomsayers on the sidelines.

Fair to say, there is a collective holding of breath as we approach the
August 6 opener of the new-look America's Cup, seven days of fleet racing,
match racing and speed trials in Cascais, Portugal in one-design AC45
catamarans. The inaugural event of the World Series tour will set
expectations.

Competition begins in an atmosphere rife with speculation over the future
of teams that are betting on the come. One, Venezia Challenge, was recently
scrubbed for failing to pay deposits and failing to pony up the $1.1
million or so to pay for an AC45, making it two-for-two down from Italy.
The got-a-billionaire-in-our-pocket teams - Oracle Racing and Artemis - we
take for granted will be on the line with custom AC72s in 2013. The
commercial teams, the ones that actually fit the espoused model of a
professionalized circuit, are not to this point rolling in sponsorship
dollars. Nor is the World Series tour. Nor is the Event Authority.

Cascais needs to be, not just a good show, but a great show.

We are well beyond the honeymoon phase with the new architecture, if there
ever was a honeymoon phase, and Event Authority bashing is gaining a life
of its own. Despite the best efforts of a few players who do not fit the
ACEA employment profile of widely-scattered and San Francisco-blind, there
is no warm-and-fuzzy, so-glad-you've-come-to-town aura around America's Cup
Event Authority.

As to the future, much depends upon results on the water. I'm figuring that
ACRM, America's Cup Race Management, has done its work to give the Event
Authority and the commercial teams something to sell. The sailing in
Cascais should prove that pudding or not. Then it depends upon results in
the boardroom. -- Kimball Livingston, Blue Planet Times, read on:
http://blueplanettimes.com/?p=7493

 

From the SA front page:

Fresh from their announcement of Spanish shoe company Camper as a new sponsor for Emirates Team New Zealand, Barker and the boys went out and kicked major *** in today’s practice racing for the AC World Series in Cascais. Three races, three bullets, and you’ll be able to watch all the action starting tomorrow morning. This is definitely something to get psyched about, and finally, there’s even a schedule up on the AC YouTube Live Channel – thanks ACAlphabet!


America's Cup LIVE Channel: http://www.youtube.com/americascup#p/l NOTE: if there is no live event it plays the same video as in post 155 but the schedule is posted.

---------------
Spectacular multihull still photos: http://www.sealaunay.com/

 

34th AC

See the link in the previous post for Americas Cup preliminary events starting today at 10AM EDT in Portugal.
Racing starts on the 10th. I'll post the times here when I know them.

 

34th AC-first racing

from Scuttlebutt tonight:

EMIRATES TEAM NZ SMOKE WORLD SERIES FLEET RACINGCascais, Portugal (August 7, 2011) -

Emirates Team New Zealand were double
winners on Sunday, Day 2 of the AC World Series, claiming top spot in the AC
Cascais Preliminaries after four fleet races and then going on to record the
fastest run in the AC 500 Speed Trial.

"We are happy how it went," said skipper Dean Barker. "But we know we have
a lot to keep up with. It's nice; a good feeling to start the week, but
there is a lot we need to improve on."

ORACLE Racing Coutts won today's long fleet race, stealing victory from
Emirates Team New Zealand after a member of the crew fell overboard. The
Kiwis did their best to hang on, but Coutts managed to grind down the
shorthanded New Zealand crew just a few hundred meters from the finish,
giving the American team victory in the race and second place overall, with
Sweden's Artemis Racing in third spot.

In the AC500 Speed Trial, the top three teams needed their third and final
runs to record their fastest speeds. The Kiwis, after a disappointing first
two tries, had a perfect set-up for their final attempt, screaming down the
track at an average speed of 42.35 kph.

They were followed closely by Team Korea (39.28) and China Team (37.43), two
of the newer, less-practiced teams in the AC45 catamaran. Despite a relative
lack of time on the boats, China Team's skipper shared his philosophy for
recording a fast run: "There are only two speeds to these boats," said Mitch
Booth. "Flat out, and stopped!"

But the headline incident on the day was the man overboard on Emirates Team
New Zealand.

Winston Macfarlane, one of the big grinders on board, was washed overboard
during a fast maneuver at a turning mark halfway through the race.
Macfarlane was grinding a winch when the winch handle snapped, meaning he
lost his balance as the boat accelerated out of the turn. While Macfarlane
swam to safety and hauled himself on to the nearby mark-boat, Barker's crew
was obliged to sail the rest of the course short-handed. -- Full story:
http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=169

Positions after 4 fleet races (place, total pts)

1. Emirates Team NZ: 3, 2, 2, 2 - 35
2. Oracle Racing Coutts: 4, 3, 5, 1 - 31
3. Artemis Racing: 1, 4, 3, 7 - 29
4. Oracle Racing Spithill: DSQ, 1, 1, 3 - 28
5. China Team: 6, 6, 6, 4 - 22
6. Team Korea: 5, 7, 4, 6 - 22
7. Energy Team: 2, 8, 8, 5 - 21
8. Aleph: 7, 5, 9, 8 - 16
9. Green Comm Racing: 8, 9, 7, 9 - 13

AC 500 Speed Trials results at:
http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=169

Cascais race program: http://tinyurl.com/2011-ACWS-Cascais
Fan features: http://tinyurl.com/ACWS-fan-features

CALENDAR: Following the inaugural America's Cup World Series event in
Cascais, the second stop on the circuit will be Plymouth, England on
September 10-18, followed by the final 2011 stop in San Diego, USA on
November 12-20.

 

Thanks Doug.

Exciting stuff.

 

34th AC

========
You're welcome! Check out this incredible on-board video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmkP4-vnKBY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZG2wXfLOR4


Much more video here: http://www.youtube.com/americascup#g/u

To whom it may concern : Thanks!

 

34th AC-racing

Be sure to check out the live stream of racing-see the link in post 157! Also, see below...


from scuttlebutt tonight:

KIWIS TAKE FIRST MATCH RACE QUALIFIERCascais, Portugal (August 10, 2010)

- Following a two-hour postponement due
to unusually light and fickle winds in Cascais at the America's Cup World
Series, today's three seeding fleet races were packed with thrills and
spills, the most dramatic of which was a start line collision between ORACLE
Racing Coutts and the Kiwis. The three seeding fleet races were no less
exciting than the final match. Team Korea continues to impress, finishing
the day ranked third, while France's Energy Team is fourth.

The day culminated with a one-on-one duel between Emirates Team New Zealand
and the American defender, ORACLE Racing Spithill - the first match race of
the America's Cup World Series. The race didn't disappoint with the lead
passing back and forth until late in the match.

Barker, the Kiwi skipper, stormed away off the starting line to lead at the
first mark, only to see the American team find a shift on the opposite side
of the race course. By the bottom gate, ETNZ was in the lead again. But
approaching the halfway point of the race, there was an important cross
between the two boats, which resulted in a classic match racing set piece,
giving the advantage back to Spithill.

The ping-pong battle continued on the second lap of the course until ETNZ
was able to hook into a favorable wind shift and finally shake the ORACLE
Racing boat for good. The Kiwis ended the afternoon with top points on the
day, with Spithill settling for second place.

"The guys on board are doing a fantastic job on crewing," Barker said. "Yes,
you make mistakes and it's frustrating that you make them. And not that you
are afraid, but these boats are very, very, hard on the crew. But there is
an improvement since Auckland, we are getting more comfortable in the
multihull environment." -- Read on:
http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=189

Match Race Results
Emirates Team New Zealand beat ORACLE Racing Spithill: 1-0

Seeding Fleet Race Results - (place, points)
1. Emirates Team NZ: 2, 4, 1 - 26
2. Oracle Racing Spithill: 1, 2, 4 - 26
3. Team Korea: 6, 3, 2 - 22
4. Energy Team: 3, 5, 3 - 22
5. Artemis Racing: 7, 1, 6 - 19
6. Oracle Racing Coutts: 9, 7, 5 - 13
7. Aleph: 5, 9, 7 - 13
8. China Team: 4, 8, 8 - 13
9. Green Comm Racing: 8, 6, 9 - 11

* The Match Race Qualifier Championship Series continues through Thursday
and Friday. The Match Race Championship and Finals Series will be raced on
Saturday. The grand finale, the AC World Series Cascais Championship Fleet
Racing, is scheduled for Sunday.

Cascais race program: http://tinyurl.com/2011-ACWS-Cascais
Fan features: http://tinyurl.com/ACWS-fan-features

CALENDAR: Following the inaugural America's Cup World Series event in
Cascais, the second stop on the circuit will be Plymouth, England on
September 10-18, followed by the final 2011 stop in San Diego, USA on
November 12-20.

 

34th AC-first racing

Team NZ is cleaning up! Check the previous links...
from SA:
If we’re going by yesterday’s action in Cascais, the naysayers about match racing in multihulls were, unsurprisingly, wrong. In the one match race yesterday between ETNZ and Oracle Racing 4, we saw numerous lead changes, a dial down at 15 knots, and more excitement than the vast majority of IACC races we’ve watched. While local spectators are universal in their opinion that the format is anything but on-site spectator friendly, and the commentating team still has a long way to go if they ever intend to reach the mainstream, we can say that we enjoyed it immensely, and we’ll be watching again – and you can too right here on our home page. Tip: If your feed is stopping and starting, switch the resolution in the bottom right corner to “320p

 

34th AC Cascais

Americas Cup website: http://www.americascup.com/

Race Channel: http://www.youtube.com/americascup#p/l



Thanks very much to Jeff for "pinning" the race info!

 

34th AC

Jimmy Spithill(Oracle-Team San Francisco) pulled it together to wind up winning the match race portion of the Cascais races beating down the hard fighting Kiwi's!

http://www.americascup.com/en/Lates...ng-Spithill-sweep-to-Match-Race-championship/

Be sure to check out the video that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that all those who said multihulls can't match race had no, zero idea what a modern multihull is capable of!!!!