Americas Cup: whats next?

I may have posted the sentiment before but in a way this represents a return to the ethos of the pioneers of match racing;one owner wishes to prove that he has a faster boat than another owner and issues a challenge to allow the claim to be determined.The principal difference being that in bygone times the boats were still useful for something other than hurtling round a piece of ocean.The new boats will be spectacular and in a few years there may be some trickle down of the technology.It may well be that the next edition of the AC will cost such a huge amount to participate in that there will be very few competitors and I suspect that the age profile of the crews may alter quite a bit.

 

AC-the Revolution is here-NOW!

This thread needs this update for posterity: the Kiwis have flown an AC 72 making it the first America's Cup boat in history to be primarily supported by hydrofoils! This is a most extraordinary development with the Kiwis again leading sailing development. First wings on an AC leadbelly in 1983 by the Aussies and now all this time later wings lift an Americas Cup boat almost out of the water-with speed near 40knots in 20 knots wind. I'm so glad that I've lived to see this fantastic progress in the world of sailboat design.
The picture below was claimed to be photoshopped by the usual suspects on SA even including the "editorial" management. But watch this video-there is no doubt that the lee hull is almost clear of the water(towards the end of the video on stb tack-see air under stern) and represents an historic first in the America's Cup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrD7T3TZZp0&feature=player_embedded

 

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The revolution is not "my" revolution-it is THE revolution! Finally, the highest technology in sailing is being used in the Americas Cup-something I've dreamed of since I was a kid-it is a monumental development that will grow sailing and inspire many people.
PS- you may not have watched the AC 45's racing which is too bad because there was lot of close racing, lead changing and exciting starts. Those that said multihull racing would degenerate into just a drag race were very, very wrong-this was great racing !

 

Doug your vocal advocacy of high tech sailing makes you a focal point, hence the comment. So what if the AC is bleeding edge high tech? youre missing the point of the game, which is uber rich ego's out gunning other uber rich ego's, we get to watch the spectacle but its not relevant to most of the sailing world in the same way as the J's were irrelevant. Watching sailing events in general is as boring as watching paint dry, unless you have a real understanding or an vested interest in whats happening. The big upside of the cats n'cups event is that it will be great to watch because there is a significant risk factor involved. If anyone can say in all honestly that the last challenge was thrilling, I have just painted the living room white- I'll take a vid of it drying and post on youtube for you

The AC 45's look great, I'm not against the racing or multis but its the relevance to the rest of the sport that I question.

 

We are already there. Larry is the defender.

We have a billionaire who is funding the Artemis challenge.

TNZ would not currently exist if not for some financial consideration from the defender and from Prada.

Prada is funded by a multi millionaire and is basically a part of the TNZ effort. Their boat will be built out of the tooling from the TNZ boat. How is that anywhere legal in the AC as we know it?

Korea is supposedly in, but where did the money come from? They don't have enough to go forward, so they will soon announce their withdrawl.

So, it seems there are really three entities masquerading as four.

 

I would say it is you who has not been watching.

The match racing of the 45s is not great in match racing terms. The boats drag race to the first mark, then end up splitting at every opportunity, hoping to find more breeze on the other side of the course.

There is nothing like a lee bow to be seen. You would have to be 50 meters ahead to actually make a lee bow stick. With the apparent wind angles downwind the trailing boat cannot attack, they get gassed and fall farther back. So they gybe away to the opposite side of the course.

Pre-race tactics have been neutered by the boats and by the silly reaching start. Options are very limited compared to an upwind start.

Similarly, the reaching finish has been useless, unless you consider the staged finish on the national broadcast last Sunday. The CEO of the company sandbags a huge lead in order to make a good-for-TV "exciting" finish.

No one was fooled, except the announcers who also work for the same company.

 

I'll clarify my comment on the AC 45's, the trailers and clips are good to watch, Coutts t-boning the race boat was good value but watching whole race? yawn! The interest for me is in the tech, the skullduggery and the personalities. The AC proper will have novelty on its side, but as Paul mentions tacking duels and real match racing are most likely toast. How can craft doing 30-40kts show any finesse or skill in close quarters? It will be a wind hunting exercise, but the crowd pleasers will be in the crashes and near misses.

 

Wet feet and Motorbike.
Your antipathy toward Multihulls is very evident in your posts.
"The new boats will be spectacular and in a few years there may be some trickle down of the technology."
What sort of a comment is that.
If you take a good look at all the recent new offerings on the sailboat market you will find that far from a "may be trickle down", new technology is very rapidly incorporated into sailng boats of all types, for both pleasure and racing.
One of the most endearing features of a good cruising multihull is the way in which it smoothly, without fuss or discomfort, will gobble up the sea miles, making along shore or water crossing passages more pleasurable experiences.
Also you may not have noted that a short time ago a trimaran sailboat, featuring foil stabilizers, circumnavigated the world in a shorter time than any other type surface vehicle ---EVER.
If that isn't the best example of "New Technology"---I don't know what is.

 

I dont think you actually read my posts otherwise you wouldnt reply with such nonsense.

There is a big difference between successful marketing and good or bad product. Multihull cruisers have their place, but you would be ignorant to think you can get something for nothing.

Heres a very cool multi, the gunboat series, in a moderate size.

Nice boats alright, I would love to experience one, but I dont have a cool 1.68m (2007 dollars) lying around. Sure some can afford them but decent multis are more expensive, need more mooring space etc. What use is the trickle down when the price tag is unobtainable for most sailors.

The AC is a rich mans game, think Mitt Romney X 4 rich (one billion)and youre onto it . It is mostly irrelevant to weekend warriors.

If I wanted a cheap fast multi, Great Barrier Expresses are awesome, but as I mentioned the shortcomings for my style of sailing apart from the lack of accommodation is actually excessive speed!

 

Motorbike.
You pick an unusual example at one end of the scale.
I'll pick one at the other end.
I built a Piver Nugget. It took me a year and cost me $1500 to build. I was married with two teenage boys, so I modified it for a double and two single berths. It was foldable and trailable and we sailed it every weekend in the Canadian summer and for the two weeks of summer vacations, for four years. I sold it for $3150. We sailed it in all weathers and at night. We lived aboard it on the summer vacations. I had six years of sailing monohulls before that and the difference was amazing.
I owned, sailed, cruised and raced 7 different Cats and Tris before I went briefly back to monohulls when I came to Australia, sailing in 26ft to 60ft boats. The experience drove me back to multis. They are superior sailboats without question. I just wish that Nat Herreshoff could see those AC 72s. He would be very proud.

 

For most types of racing around cans, is all about the tactics & execution by the sailors.

A few very notable exceptions exist where a top notch crew is required, but the design & build side of the equation is just as important or more important.

The AC is kind of odd in that it tends to flip flop from one mode to the other. Both have a place, but the events should produce spectacular results given the crazy amounts of money spent.

When it is in the mode were there is little or no difference in the boats, the owner who buys the best crew tends to win. For this mode, monos are just as good as anything and raw speed does not really matter.

When it is in the mode were boat innovation is likely to be the key, the owner who buys the best design team has the best chance of winning. In the mono versions of this mode, the AC just did not seem to live up to a reasonable level of “cost vs. result”. I personally agree with Doug in that it is great to see this specific event has finally done a better job with a couple of rounds where the design team really matters and the results will be absolutely top level in terms of raw performance.

 

1500 to build? In terms of trickle down that gets you a few blocks these days! I gave the example of high tech in moderate cruising cat, not a piver glass on ply, pivers are about the same as ferro's in tech advances as far as this thread is concerned. I also cited a GBE as a cheap fast cat option.

Superiority is a matter of youropinion and you keep trying to drag the argument over to the mono/multi debate which is irrelevant and I wont go there. Its all about utility for purpose and personal preference. As far as the AC is concerned, my personal opinion is that monos would provide much closer match racing, but I am happy to be proven wrong.

 

Gooday 'mo-bike'. Before you attempt to - make my call of me - or anyone elses call for them - go back to school in 'Crew.org' please cause you & a few others are truely not the voice of sailing - not in this forum nor in any other place or forum.

No one wants to talk about - what you think - nor what you like - nor do we wish to change how you think, evaluate your passions nor change what you like or don't like - do or don't do -

so why get in here & 'tell-us' all about you - - this discussion is not all about you - as a matter of fact - it isn't about you at all.

If you don't like multihull sailing - don't do it
If you don't like Ac 45's or 72's or SL33's then don't watch them or sail one.
If you don't like this topic then don't join in & be a negative git.
If you like motorbikes - ride one & we'll stay sailing multihulls & away from you

I'm sure we'll all wish you well & much enjoyment & knot knock what you do & enjoy. ciao, james.

 

You may well be but I am def not the voice of sailing! Discussions are just that, a mixture of opinion, fact, conjecture etc I don't see anyone here without a viewpoint. Love to hear your views on the AC James.

 

Gooday 'mo-bike' - Agreed -"def not the voice of sailing" - for sure - no one is ! ! not one single person or any group of people are - nor do they have the right to be.

You may have missed some posts in these & other forums (could have missed over 50 of them) - as I've been very up-front in my great enthuasiasm of the development in multihull technology especially of late. Since Locki, Miller, Barker, Irens & many others - I've sailed, raced, cruised, built & owned many quick multi's & find them great for me - - I've also raced in several Syd-to-Hob, Bris-to-Glad' - etc etc in mono's & enjoyed those as well.

I'm very - up-front - about my love for all multi's - 'A' class through to 'D' class, ocean racing multi's & would own a really big quick one the nano-second I had enough money to own & mantain one. Am - in fact - trying to 'sell the farm' & go do just that. I just love the water & sailing in general regardless of what kind of yacht it is.

All these new developments are wonderful for the sport of sailing regardless of my personal like for multi's & I hope the world-wide community of sailing grows as a result of all this interest.

Sure hope you feel the same. Enjoy your activity regardless of what it is. Ciao, james