34th America's Cup: multihulls!

34th AC

Here is an Oracle vs Oracle race video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D6mzh8zwyg





============================================
Here is a press release released by Team New Zealand and Luna Rosa today:

 

I've only recently started to become active in a junior adjudication role in the club racing so others might be able to contribute a more accurate interpretation of the rules.

I think in a technical sense there could be a case to answer with a boat crossing the line with less crew members but you are allowed a fair bit of latitude as a judge and obviously the situation has to play a role. For example in this case Luna Rossa had retired from the race and/or was not in a situation to take advantage of the nosedive situation on the New Zealand boat. If the crewmembers had jumped off the boat in what appeared to be an intentional fashion other than as a consequence of the nosedive the case would be different.

Most measurement for yacht racing is carried out with the boat at rest hence a boat like the ETNZ AC72 catamaran or a Decision35 catamaran are considered catamarans despite the existence of a vestigial structure that could contribute dynamic displacement in certain situations.

 

34th AC

I looked in the 34th AC "Rules of Sailing"and found rule 47.2:
" Except as a result of capsize,a person accidently leaving shall not be accepted back on board nor replaced during the race.."

 

So the wind limits now 21 knots and corrected for tidal stream. When did they reduce that again? last I heard it was going to be 23 for the round robin and 25 for the finals.

The race was delayed as the wind was blowing a tad over 19 knots. And as the announcer said it's a "safety issue with these boats".

NZ was operating outside it's safety limit though. And another example of the requirement for more robust pitch control but maybe as Doug said they could have lowered the other board ??.

The deceleration was brutal when you look at the close up side on view at 2:10 on here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=TFjxEfg_mEw The higher bow buoyancy saved a pitchpole but they would have stressed a few components past their design SN cycles. Hope that doesn't come back to haunt them.

 

I wonder how long it takes a helmsman to regain situational awareness after dancing across the trampoline. Mode changes are a real strain on pilots, and this one is a doozy. You go from mentally processing the feel of the flying machine, the state of the wing and foils, where the other guy is and what you're going to do about it to "watch where you're dancing or you'll go overboard" and then back again. All in the middle of a maneuver. Not the sort of thing I'd want to have to sell to a Human Factors Committee, back in the day.

Cheers,

Earl

 

34th AC

-------------
I researched the rule-they could have lowered the port board legally as they approached the rounding. Had they done that there wouldn't have had a problem. This wasn't a boat problem -it was a boat handling problem and could have been avoided.

 

hopefully stuff like this will apply enough pressure that it wont be a procession after the fastest boat and make for edge of the seat viewing.
Near crash and recovery is great for viewers

 

34th AC---Oracle vs TNZ practice

Simply amazing performance by Oracle in this video-faster and more stable in pitch that TNZ! Go 17ers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk-k67O9fjg#at=92

 

34th AC

JNavas video of the "crash"-best video yet-slow mo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFtqL-C839k

 

34th AC

In the pre-race manouvering a little while ago today(18th) between Oracle 1 & 2, 1 lost one complete rudder! More later....

Video: at 9:36 in boat# 1 pops a wheelie-it was at that instant that the rudder broke loose! Keep watching. I find it pretty amazing that those rudders plus foil are light enough to float.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkBAfIiK38s

 

Hard to attribute that to crew error.

Cheers,

Earl

 

34th AC

================
Why would you even try? Huh?

 

...

I just watched the first race today, and (finally) it was all really good TV.

They are doing a great job producing this coverage, and when the boats and wind cooperate, it makes for an impressive advance in the presentation of sailing. Very inspiring to see.

Won't reveal the results, for the benefit of the poor chumps on tape delay...

 

What is it with the boards and stuff. If this keeps on happening we should switch to minkeels.

Bugger for ETNZ as they were in the lead.

Phil

 

Pretty obvious that they got the wind limits wrong.

Then again with the wind limits that ETNZ claim to have designed for their boat would be upside-down.

What is needed is a photo of 10 year olds in Optimists sailing and laughing at the nancy boys in the AC72's.

The boats are proving pretty unreliable given the reduced wind speeds they have to deal with.

Sorry for stating the obvious, but some one had too.

On a brighter note. ETNZ running over to sail next to Oracle for a moment was great PR. Oracles Froude Discombobulator Ray was working just fine. ETNZ looked very much out of control as they sandbagged to let Oracle sail away ..?

Some people are scoring it a tie so far ... not me, my scorecard looks like this:
LR - 1
ETNZ - 1
SF Bay - 2

More exiting than I had guessed ... if we get one extra leg before the first break-downs tomorrow it will be progress.

;-)