34th America's Cup: multihulls!

What a weekend in NZ. Tonight the toughest of all international rugby matches NZ vs S Africa (first played in 1921). Tomorrow morning, AC.

 

lol. Reminds me of a cartoon:



Hollande: I don't like the menu. We'd like something more invigorating...

Merkel: The menu is the menu!

(on the menu: austerity, rigorousness, discipline)

 

A cartoon for you too, Catsketcher.

If I spent an eternity on the internet, who's to say I'd ever be more enchanted?

 

"Whoever wins the AC itself the real winners this time have to be the NZ hightech boatbuilders. Probably more people live in the Bay area than in all of New Zealand while LE could probably buy the country."

He's probably thought of that - once the new challenger has been accepted, He might buy Italy as well, just to cover his options. Given the financial state Europe is in, he might get a good deal.

 

I think it would be better to have Oracle race against Prada and Artemis in a 3-way loser's final. What could be really interesting is if the outcome of that regatta determined who the next challenger would be, instead of all the behind-the-scenes collusion that goes on, where the challenger has been accepted long before the regatta is over.

And on the subject of 'boring racing', I'd agree with Phil on his take on it, in post 3065. I don't think anyone could have said it better.

 

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Good tweet by Scuttlebutt, of all people!

IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL THE FAT LADY SINGS

 

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Ahhhh, the good old days...

 

Catsketcher; Well said !

Blackburn; Too funny, yep those 12m were scintillating NOT !

 

The key difference is drag. NZ can twist the first wing element, USA cannot. When the breeze is up NZ can twist the top of the wing to a negative camber to *increase* righting moment. This allows them to trim the lower section of the wing for more power with the same or less drag than USA's wing. IMO this is the source of a measurable speed advantage.

The other key difference is speed/distance lost in tacks. Every time NZ tacks they pop the leeward hull out of the water. They are tacking a boat with a 750mm waterline. They are not dragging hulls sideways through the water while they pivot around the foil. USA tacks with the hull in the water and loses much more speed in the manoeuvre. The NZ boat looks to be easier to sail.

The boats are remarkably close, but NZ is just a tick faster on all points of sail. A 0.5% speed differential is 8 seconds on this course.

 

Hilarious!
Of course, the equivalent one for today's AC would have a huge flat
screen and nobody watching it.

 

^^^

Not exactly nobody, Leo.

My old team, veterans from our little wars against the French, is gathering here at my home tonight to enjoy the show!




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I've been keeping half an eye on the Swiss press during the AC34. There has alas been very little in their papers this time, in contrast to the AC33 of course. But though Geneva's Le Matin and Le Temps have so far ignored the races, the same cannot be said for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

Oddly, the gnomes of Zürich have perhaps the best European AC34 newspaper coverage, apart from the Italians!

Their reporter Walter Rüegsegger, who was often scathing about Alinghi (and to whom Russell paid a visit during his knightly Anti-Bertarelli Tour d'Europe just ahead of the AC33 races), is reporting from San Francisco and has a full Cup page (in switzerdeutsch).

He's got an article today about Luc Dubois, a key member of Bertarelli's team, who is a very exceptional multihull sailor/boffin.

And buried well at the very end of Rüegsegger's story, is something interesting; the best-informed statement yet on the chances for Swiss participation in the AC35:

 

Team Oracle has now made some changes to their boat between Thursday night and Saturday, Ainslie spoke of it but wouldn't go into specifics, according to the AP's Bernie Wilson.

Spithill said in regard to a self-tacker, that the main beam didn't have the necessary reinforcements for the needed track (you can see such a track on the above deck bow camera of ETNZ). Hopefully they've found a workaround?

The ETNZ twist in the wing, and their hull-shape which facilitates better tacking (Martin Vanzulli's take on that), could these things be altered overnight if you threw an unlimited amount of dollars at the problem?

In two more hours we may see!





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And there's this tweet from VSail/Pierre an hour ago:

"It's going to be windy today" PRO John Craig. Wind near the top end of range 19-23 knots. 2nd race could bump up against wind limit.

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... if more wind cancels racing, the builders will be delighted that their glue will not be strained too much.

But if the races take place in the highest permitted wind, we may be treated to the sight of all the last-minute mods, exploding?




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From ETNZ's facebook:

Preparing for racing on day 5 of the America's Cup.
The breeze is forecast to be up towards the limit,
and the tide is turning to an ebb.
Get ready for some full on AC action.

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C'mon Harold!
Pretend they're Swiss, and start the countdown!
Even if Tom Ehman is holding a gun to your head!

LOL

 

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VSail.info ‏@vsail 9m

The rumor is that @OracleTeamUSA have made significant modifications to their bows... Any spy in the vicinity?

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Yes Pierre,

they now are outfitted with carbon-fiber battering rams.

 

A few old WWII vets is hardly the ratings bonanza Larry was hoping for!

 

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Is this an Omen?
Tweet from the NZHerald's AC34 guy:

Paul Lewis
‏@plewism

Grant Dalton in crew for 2nd race only today. May not get a second race today = still only undefeated sailor in America's Cup 2013

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If Dalts isn't on board, then they must of course lose the first race.

Wouldn't bother me the slightest!



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@ Leo; WWII?

We weren't conceived any of us until long after.