34th America's Cup: multihulls!

From BMW-Oracle:

America’s Cup transformed by radical changes

New class of boat and annual series of racing among introductions

VALENCIA, Spain (September 13, 2010) – The America’s Cup, sailing’s most iconic event, has been re-energized and rejuvenated, ready for 2013 and the future.

The best sailors in the world will race on the fastest boats with the introduction of an exciting wingsail catamaran.
To build interest and audiences ahead of the 34th Match in 2013 is a new annual World Series, commencing in 2011.
A clear vision for the future led to analysis of the best practices in other major sports. Six months of dialogue with potential teams and stakeholders followed, resulting in the transformed competition details that were released today.

Highlights include:
 New, exciting class of boat, the AC72 wingsail catamaran
 New annual World Series starting in 2011
 New Youth America’s Cup from 2012
 Transformed media for television broadcast and online
 Shorter, action-packed race format
 Race delays minimized – new boat and venues with reliable wind
 Independent race management and fully empowered International Jury to avoid show-stopping disputes
 Effective cost-cutting measures
 Branding freedom for teams
 One global website for all team and racing content

The annual America’s Cup World Series has been designed to create exposure and commercial sustainability for teams and their sponsors. The series featuring the cutting-edge catamaran will deliver exciting racing to new audiences ahead of the America’s Cup Match in 2013.
The AC72 class will be raced from 2012, and a second new boat will be used in next year’s competition for the America’s Cup World Series. Also powered by a wingsail, the AC45 is a scaled down one-design version of the AC72, and will provide a fast-track for competitors in wingsail technology.
“We believe this new format and new boat will put the America’s Cup back at the pinnacle of our sport. These changes will give equal opportunity to competitors and
2
long-term economic stability to all teams and all commercial partners. We promised fairness and innovation and this is what we’ve delivered,” said Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing.

The Regatta Director of the independent organization America’s Cup Race Management, ACRM, will be appointed jointly by the Challenger and Defender board members. A financial model for the next Defender to maintain this vision of independent race management allows teams and partners to plan long-term involvement.

“I think that we need to acknowledge that the Defender has kept its word. The America’s Cup is going to have fair rules and a truly independent management of the racing,” said Vincenzo Onorato, President of Mascalzone Latino.
“This change should’ve happened years ago in my opinion. I can see why this important development could last for many years in the future,” Onorato said.

Limits on the number of boats, sails, equipment and support boats, as well as the introduction of no-sail periods will bring significant cost savings for all competitors. Crew sizes will be reduced to 11 members from 17.

For the first time onboard cameramen will be part of the innovative media model that is designed to significantly enhance the television broadcasts and internet content in an effort to grow audiences and bring added value to teams and partners.

In releasing the Protocol, the Defender has forfeited some of the rights traditionally enjoyed by the holder of the trophy in the interest of making the competition more balanced and fair. Majority approval of the competitors is required to amend the Protocol.
“During our six months of planning we spoke to the teams, to commercial partners, to media and to the fans. A clear and compelling vision emerged – that to capture and communicate the excitement our sport can produce, we need the best sailors racing the fastest boat in the world,” Coutts said.
In an effort to develop the next generation of best sailors, the new AC45 will be used for the Youth America’s Cup beginning in 2012, a new initiative to provide young sailors a pathway to the America’s Cup.

With today’s release of the Protocol, class of boat and year in which the match will be held, three of the four cornerstones for the 34th Match are in place. The final piece, the venue, is scheduled to be announced by the end of the year.
For further information please contact:
Tim Jeffery
Director, Communications, BMW ORACLE Racing

 

34th America's Cup: the boat-

The boat:

The America’s Cup has pioneered yacht design for 159 years.

In the 34th America’s Cup the best sailors in the world will meet their ultimate match; the fastest boat in the world.

Technology returns to the fore with the AC72 wingsail America’s Cup catamaran, capable of regularly exceeding speeds of 30 knots.

The AC72 will excite fans as it zips around the racecourse with one hull in the air. Equally important, it will leave the crews exhilarated and drained after a day of adrenaline-fueled racing.

Crucial to the new boat is its ability to be raced hard in light and strong winds, a necessary development to do away with the frustrating delays of racing because of not enough wind or too much.

Fast to grab and retain the attention of a new audience, it also had to be technically stimulating to design and physically demanding for the crew to sail.

There will only be 11 crewmembers, six fewer than the heavy-displacement ACC monohull it replaces.

“The AC72 Class adds a new dimension to America’s Cup design and technology,” said Pete Melvin, a chief architect of the rule and champion multihull sailor. “The AC72 will place exacting demands on the helmsman, crew and support team that the vast majority of us who call ourselves ‘weekend racers’ could never hope to develop.”

The new class of America’s Cup catamaran is a tightly defined “box rule.” Certain parameters have been set, such as overall length, beam, displacement and sail area. Other factors are limited to keep the competition close across all wind speeds.

So that no team would have an unfair advantage by creating the rule, US SAILING and Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering authored the rule.

“Near the beginning of the process we were requested to look at a catamaran instead of a trimaran because it’s easier to transport, assemble and disassemble,” Melvin said.

“The difference in the performance characteristics is not significant, and a cat was judged less expensive to build. From there, the experience of two America’s Cups in which wingsails were used (1988 and 2010), coupled with the latest developments in wingsail technology, made it natural to morph the design rule into a catamaran with a wingsail,” said Melvin.

AC72 approximate dimensions:

LOA - 22.0 meters (72 feet)

Beam - 14.0 meters (46 feet)

Displacement - 7,000 kilograms (15,500 pounds)

Wingsail area – 300 square meters (3,229 square feet)

The catamaran will be able to fly a hull in 5 to 6 knots true windspeed. The target boatspeeds in winds under 10 knots were set at 1.2 times the true windspeed upwind and 1.6 times true windspeed downwind.
High speeds are derived from enormous power. The AC72 has a righting moment of approximately 60-ton-meters. Determining the sail plan dimensions was difficult because the boat has to be powerful in light winds and not overpowered in stronger winds.

“It’s been challenging to have the cat fully powered-up and flying a hull in light winds, yet also able to sail in 30 knots,” Melvin said. “We put a lot of time and effort into sizing the wingsail and the platform dimensions in order to sail in that full range.”

The height of the wingsail will be approximately 40 meters (130 feet) with a maximum chord length between 10 and 11 meters (32 and 36 feet).

Two options for depowering are removable flaps on the upper leech or a removable mast tip. Both options would reduce sail and weight.

With such a wide boat, additional structure has been required to optimize the longitudinal stability of the AC72 to dampen flexing and to resist the high forestay loads.

A draft of the AC72 Rule has been completed and the final rule will be issued by September 30.

Other highlights of the new class:

Ease of assembly: The AC72 can be assembled in two days and disassembled in one to accommodate the shipping schedule for the America’s Cup World Series events.
Platform configuration: Either a conventional layout catamaran, one with cockpits and helmsman stations in both hulls, or teams will have an option of designing a central pod to centralize all the wing and sail-handling controls.
Wingsail or soft sails: The AC72 class rule allows for wingsail and soft sail options to promote racing through a broad range of conditions.
Power source: Engines are banned but electrically driven valves to control the wingsail might be permitted.
Rudders and daggerboards: The rule limits a maximum of four underwater appendages, two rudders and two daggerboards. To reduce costs, standardized, one-design daggerboards are being considered.
Construction materials and methods: Limits on high-modulus carbon-fiber have been put in place for hull construction. The class rule outlines a minimum outside skin weight of 600 grams per square meter, similar to other racing boats of that size. Core materials may either be foam or honeycomb. High-modulus carbon will be allowed in the wingsail, to add stiffness and strength.
Onboard cameramen will be carried during racing.
=====================
Video rendering of the new boat:

http://www.americascup.com/features...-cup-era-begins-with-wingsail-catamaran/#AC34

Kimball Livingston:
http://kimballlivingston.com/?p=4711

 

34th America's Cup: the boat

Comparision with last mono:

IACC V5

Length: 25m /82'
Beam: 3.6m / 11.8'
Draft (max): 4.1m / 13.4'
Displacement: 24 tonnes
Height of the mast: 35m / 114.8'
Weight of the bulb: 19 tonnes
Sail area: 325 m2 / 750 m2 (upwind/downwind) / 3497 / 8070sq.ft.
Crew: 17
---
AC72

Length: 22m / 72.1'
Beam 14m / 46'
Draft (max): ?
Displacement: 7 tonnes
Height of the mast: 40m / 131.2'
Weight of the bulb: 0 tonnes
Sail area: 300 m2 (Wingsail only) / 3228sq.ft. plus screecher?
foil assist(curved daggerboards + ?)
Crew: 11
-
Bob Fisher on the new rule/protocol:http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Fishers-View:-Its-catamarans-in-2013/74615

 

34th AC-------why not Extreme 40? / New Rules for 34?

From tonights Scuttlebutt:

SIDE NOTE: The events for the America's Cup World Series in 2011 will use a
new BMW Oracle Racing designed AC45 wing powered one design catamaran. Why
was the much more affordable Extreme 40 not chosen instead? Apparently, the
Extreme 40s were part of the early plan but it was found they could not
sufficiently handle the upper wind range (events are to be sailed in 3-33
knots), and could not support wings without extensive bow modifications.
Here is where the AC45s are being built: http://tinyurl.com/AC45-build
============================
Extreme 40 Umpire speaks on Rules:

RULE CHANGES IN THE 34TH AMERICA'S CUP?Do the match racing rules need to be changed for the 34th America's Cup?
International Umpire Jos M Spijkerman (FIN), who has experience with the
Extreme 40 events, offers this report:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I've come up with the following analysis by looking first at this question:
What are the big(ger) differences between 'conventional' mono hulls and
these huge wingsail cats?

- Big acceleration
- Slow tacking - like any multi-hull
- Boats are very wide, with lots of water in between the hulls
- Overall speed

Big acceleration:
The acceleration issue comes into play, for instance, after a tack. One boat
tacking to starboard while a Port boat is keeping clear by passing in front.
But due to the acceleration of the Starboard boat, a few moments later Port
cannot pass in front any more. Starboard has not changed course after she
has completed her tack, so she does not have to give room under rule 16.1
(changing course). Only rule 15 (acquiring right of way) is applicable.
Starboard becomes right of way boat after her tack and initially has to give
the other boat room to keep clear. I do not think this warrants a rule
change, but falls within the definition of room.

The type of boat used and its characteristics are part of the circumstances
and therefore room under 15 must be more in these huge catamarans, then with
mono hulls. Sailors need to be aware of it. Umpires need to consider this
when asked to judge an issue where acceleration is a factor

Slow tacking:
Let me again illustrate with an example. A boat clear ahead rounds a leeward
mark leaving it to starboard and sails four, five lengths upwind before
tacking. While she's luffing the trailing boat arrives at the mark, rounds
it and heads up. She's changing course around the mark and is now heading
straight for the tacking boat. That boat - passed head to wind - is now the
keep clear boat under either rule 13 (tacking) or under rule 10 (Port
Starboard), but cannot do anything until she's gained speed. Meanwhile the
other (starboard) boat is sailing three, four lengths in a straight line
toward her. A clear port / starboard issue, you say? No, it is not, in my
opinion. -- Read on:
http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2010/09/rulechanges-in-34th-americas-cup.html

===========================
From Scuttlebutt Europe:
US Sailing To Draft Multihull Rule For 34th America's Cup

Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA: Competition details for the 34th America's Cup were announced during Monday's press conference in Valencia, Spain. US SAILING, in partnership with Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, is the neutral party responsible for managing the development of the multihull rule.

To ensure that no team would have an unfair advantage by creating the rule, US SAILING was approached by the BMW ORACLE Racing Team to provide oversight of the rule drafting process. Pete Melvin, a two-time A Class catamaran world champion, has independently drafted a rule for the race. The final AC72 rule, including details on measurement instructions, materials used, wing definitions, scantlings, and other requirements, will be specified by September 30, 2010.

"In the upcoming weeks, the team at Morrelli and Melvin will be polishing the rule and coming up with details," said offshore director of US SAILING, Dan Nowlan. "US SAILING is really proud to be part of this effort and supporting them, and the 34th America's Cup. It's going to be interesting, so stay tuned."

 

34th AC----Vote for San Fran!

Vote here:

BAY AREA BOOSTERS: Peter Stoneberg adds that it's vital right now to both
the San Francisco city government and BMW Oracle Racing to have a tangible
show of support to indicate that AC34 should be in San Francisco. To show
your support:
* Post Facebook message: http://tinyurl.com/FB-AC34
* Send email of support to the Mayor's office: gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
* Send email of support to BMW ORACLE Racing: media@bmworacleracing.com
* Post Twitter message: http://www.twitter.com/34thAC
=======================
From the Mayor of San Fran in response to my e-mail:

Dear Friends and Supporters of San Francisco hosting the America's Cup:

Many thanks for your email of support regarding hosting the 34th America's
Cup in San Francisco Bay. My office is working diligently to convince the
BMW Oracle Racing Team of the value and potential of a race in San
Francisco. An event in San Francisco would be valuable not only to the
sport of sailing, but also to the San Francisco waterfront itself,
showcasing the Bay as never before.

The BMW Oracle Racing Team has stressed the importance of demonstrating a
broad base of support for holding the event in any city. As such, I have
documented your name and email address. Should the opportunity arise for
you to vocalize your enthusiasm and support again, I hope that you might
consider my request.

Best Regards,


Mayor Gavin Newsom

---------------------------------
You,too, can have your own letter from the Mayor-just e-mail him and BMW above with your support for San Francisco as the venue for the next Cup-won't take much effort and will probably help....

 

While i think it will be cool and i'm glad it's staying multi - i am also unhappy, as i dont think my country will be able to afford these boats. No more AC for SA?

 

Alex, I think our time came and went - a number of factors contributed to our team making an appearance with Shosholoza. We had Captain Sarno almost single-handedly funding this until sponsors came aboard - and it was relatively "affordable" then, by purchasing older cup boats to train on and learn from. The new boat was built to the same rule as the older training boats, so the parameters and expected costs were understood. Even if the next cup was in monos, I believe only the wealthier countries can participate as the costs of developing a boat to any new design rule will be higher than building a boat to a known established rule. development and testing costs will be much higher.
The fact that Shosholoza secured a major sponsorship deal from a German company kind of tells it like it is - we don`t have the corporate interest in this country to throw that much money at a serious campaign.
And the wingsails add a new dimension to R&D which is going to be costly - Sailmakers will be replaced by aerospace and composite engineers, which makes it an expensive game.

 

--------------
It's hard to say for sure but you guys may be jumping the gun. Coutts is saying that these boats will be less expensive to design, build and campaign. Transport will be less expensive. Sails aren't out of the game-just look at the foresails in the renderings. I'd say ,based on what I've read, that South Africa
will have a better chance to participate under this new rule-and I hope that turns out to be the case.

pix: AC 45 and 72-note sails(click on image):

 

34th AC-----Preliminary rule-no T-foils?

Here is a preliminary draft of the new rule. Seems to me to eliminate t-foils or the "Happy Feet" solution(single daggerboard and rudder w/T-foils on CL)-see the Appendage section.
I'm disappointed that the design freedom of the rule is so restrictive-it would have been great to see trimarans-or more beam as an option. I guess you just can't have everything....

more "preliminary" specs:

AC72 design parameters:
LOA 22.0 meters (72 feet)
Beam 14.0 meters (46 feet)
Displacement 5,700 kilograms (12,500 pounds)
All-up weight 7,000 kilograms (15,500 pounds)
Wingsail area 260 square meters (2,800 square feet)
Wingsail height 40 meters (130 feet)
Wingsail chord 8.5 meters (28 feet)
Sail trimming Manual grinders
Configuration Twin-hulled catamaran
Crew 11
Sail trimming No mechanically powered systems
Sail area reduction Removable top sections/leech elements
Appendages Maximum of 2 rudders, 2 daggerboards
Construction Minimum 600 grams per square meter outer-skin;High-modulus carbon-fiber permitted in wingsail spar

 

We should be happy

Doug I am pleased that we will see some serious design development because of the design constraints. One of the problems of a wide variation in design is that you can't isolate design facets and see how they affect performance. When I sailed 16ft skiffs I hardly learnt anything about rigs because they all were so different - I wasn't sure if we or others were fast because of our sail trim/settings or cut. Too many differences. The blokes in the 49ers learnt real fast as they were able to go up to the fast boat and have a look at the what they did knowing that the baseline was the same.

I think it would be very good to have similar boats so that we can sit back and learn from the very honed design evolution that will occur. If the designs are too varied then we don't learn much subtlety.

Also the AC used to be about the sailing AND the design whilst the last one was really about the design. Having tight rules is what the AC has done since the J class so its traditional in that sense. Whilst I liked the tri-cat series it wasn't much in traditional racing terms.

Final point - its a bit scary but we will never be allowed the whinge anymore. If crowds don't watch it or its not one of the best series yet then monohullers will be able to say I told you so. Here's hoping it all goes well.

cheers

Phil

 

I'm just glad that the "Luddites" have been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st centuary.

 

34th AC --------Exceptional video

Check out this video from CNN. They went to visit Steve Clark just before the first race of the LAC. The who's who of people that "dropped in" on Clark just before the race is amazing -and was sparked by the "rumor" at the time that the new AC boat would be a cat.

be sure to click on full screen!

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2010/09/16/mainsail.extreme.sailing.bk.b.cnn

 

34th AC -----administration

From Scuttlebutt Europe:

New America's Cup Director and COO
Valencia, Spain: America's Cup experience and business acumen are the primary attributes of the new 34th America's Cup Regatta Director, Iain Murray.

As Regatta Director, Murray (52, Sydney, Australia) heads up the new America's Cup Race Management (ACRM), holding the dual role of CEO of the independent organization. This is the first time in the event's 159-year history that the defender has divested management of the competition into the hands of a neutral body, a central part of its vision to move the America's Cup into the future.

ACRM will have responsibility over a wide range of topics including budget, management of the new AC72 and AC45 classes, the Youth America's Cup (slated for 2012), the International Jury, race committee, umpires and measurement committee.

ACRM also will oversee the operation of a meteorological and oceanographic data service, the establishment and management of the America's Cup Village, and infrastructure at all America's Cup World Series (ACWS) venues.

Joining Murray in ACRM as the Chief Operating Officer is Andy Hindley, former Race Manager of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Hindley (43, Hampshire, UK) managed the 2001-02 and 05-06 editions of the Volvo Ocean Race before becoming in 2008 the Race and Technical Director of Powerboat P1 Management, the offshore monohull powerboat championship, for two years.

Hindley's personal racing background is based largely in round-the-world races. Hindley, who holds a degree in physics, has a strong background in logistics from his days with the Volvo Ocean Race and P1 Powerboats.
www.AmericasCup.com

 

34th AC----

The new AC 45' trainers will be exciting if this is any indication(which it is)-40 footers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyjGYJoG0wQ&feature=player_embedded


America's Cup 34 website: http://www.americascup.com/

 

34th AC----

From Sail-World-wings under construction for the 45's:
http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Americas-Cup:-Wingsails-under-construction-at-Warkworth/75482