America's Cup

T

thataway

Active member
I realize that not all of the members may share my enthusiasm for sailboat racing, but I thought I might give the web site where the U Tube and comentaries are located. The second race of Louis Vultton cup semi finals.
Artemis ve Luna Rosa--and Luna Rosa is up now.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasCup

I am able to run at 720 P on a large screen, and it is worth doing that if you can. Not only is it the boats, the uniforms (Like Marie said--for a space walk) the technology of both the boats and presentation.

I hope that some of you enjoy this as much as I do--If was able I would be in San Francisco in the C Dory 22 for the next 6 weeks. I had the pleasure of watching AC 1983 and knew many of the American crew at that time in Newport RI, aboard our boat "Locura," we sailed from Calif to Europe and back.

Also look at the chase boats, umpire boats etc....Marie says the America's cup died with the last of the Monohull. I see it a little differently--but probably should be in the 45 footers rather than the 72's..
 
I agree with Marie!!!
That said it is still interesting but not sailing as I understand it and I will go watch at some point in the next month.
Michael
 
Thanks for the thread Bob. I have been reading about this for a while, and would love to be in SF along with you. I think the new technology is cool, but still like the mono-hulls with "real" sails.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
Where's Popeye when we need him? Wasn't it Jimmy Buffet who said all we needed was an "old spinach can, with a mast stuck in it..."?

Bob, I am with Miss Marie on this one. I really like the big monohulls. It must be a bit of a Luddite genetics in me.
 
I'll add my vote too for a return to the monohull. I think the most exciting set of AC races was held in 1987 off the coast of Fremantle in Western Australia. And if I had a wish it would be to stage the races in modernized J-Class boats designed and built with new materials/technologies.

With that said, we'll be visiting SF in 2 weeks and hope to see the AC 72s on the water :D

Rob
 
I'm with Marie too! Miss the old 12 meter boats. Went to a CUP race on a Navy ship off of Newport in 1964, quite a sight to behold! The new ones are just too big and fast. Better than when there were no "rules" though and you could build and race whatever you wanted.

Charlie
 
I love the new boats! Who can deny that the AC has always been more about technology than tradition. To me a sail is a sail, made of hemp or Cuben fibre. I would be scared to death on those things, dressing more like a football player than a sailor. I can't imagine the forces generated at that speed. I wonder do they still carry guest crew or is it just too dangerous? Just another interesting subject for Lake Powell.
 
I agree with everything said above. If it had been kept in the 45 foot cats, we would also be seeing boats foiling to windward--and we might see it in the AC 72 (from some knowledge I cannot share) in the next month or so.

The 45's were semi affordable--the 72's not so--hundreds of millions.

Why the big cats? They wanted to make it a spectator sport--sort of like NASCAR. They want the TV audience. You don't get that in 10 to 12 knot boats. Today its not wind surfing--it is kite boarding--that is where the "action is" for young folks. The spectacular gets the public interest.

I won't judge if it is right or not. But you have to admit the technology is awesome.

The J boats--huge, also expensive, and all of the issues of the other monohulls. There are several restored boats sailing today.

What does it do for modern sailing technology:"The wing-sail catamaran box rule provides for a maximum waterline length of 72.2 feet, overall length of 86 feet, beam width of 45.9 feet and mast top-to-base-plate height of 125.4 feet.
The sails on these lightweight boats are huge. The allowable mainsail area for the wing is about 2,800 square feet. The maximum jib is 861 square feet, and the largest downwind gennaker is 3,444 square feet." Needless to say the loads of all parts of these boats from hull, to rigging to daggerboard/foils is huge. The boats have hundreds of sensors built into the structure which are constantly being analyzed by computers.

However, the tactics of wind, current, timing the start, best lay line, when to tactical jibe, and the co-ordination, strength and strength of the crew is still the deciding factor.

What ever your feeling--take a look at the videos--I consider them a marvel of science and fun to watch--actually more fun that the old 12 meters and the offshoots!
 
Agree Bob. Watching the old 12 M boat was sort of like watching the grass grow! These big guys get it over with quickly and with a lot of excitement. Looking at those capsizes and pitch pole rollovers though scares the heck out of me. Surprising that there have not been fatalities. Hope it stays that way!

Charlie
 
Charlie, unfortunately there has been one fatality. This was Bart Simpson, Olympic British Sailor on Artemis. The boat dug in a leeward hull, pivoit pitch poled and broke up. Apparently "Bart" was trapped under the hulls.
They carry pony bottles--but the new safety precautions changed where they are carried, and each rescue boat (RIB) has a diver ready to go in the water in a seconds notice. They have also lowered the safe maximum wind conditions.

One of the most dangerous maneuvers is the jib--they don't tack these boats. As the boat slows, and goes off foil, the leeward bow may dig in and trip. Also there is the moment of that tall and relitively heavy mast/sail--they cannot be reefed--and seem to sail faster without the jib in some instances...

As to "guests" A few special people have been taken for rides--this includes sponsors, other famous sailors, and Tom Cruz (thats Hollywood for you). Gary Jobson (one of the most famous AC sailors & commentator on these videos) wrote this in his blog a couple of days ago:
"I think it is the first time in my career that I did not offer to steer. Being at the helm of an AC 72 is an intense job. The helmsman must be focused at every moment. Keeping the boat and the crew safe is a big responsibility. Jimmy Spithill is tasked with the job for the USA team. Kostecki told me that Spithill is fearless. For nearly five hours I watched the crew practice maneuvers, run speed tests, and sail four practice races. Even as a guest it was exhausting. The hulls are 46 feet apart. The eleven crew run from one side to the other on every maneuver. It takes four seconds to shift sides. Some crew pass in front of the 130 wing sail, and the others run behind it. At the training compound the crew does exercises on a trampoline to work on balance. I used a safety harness attached to a line stretched across the aft cross beam. It was a comforting piece of equipment."
 
Next race on Friday at 1: 15 PM PDT. You can see it live on the America's cup App or NBC sports--after this has aired it will be on U tube video.
The app is free and seems to down load images rapidly (at least on my wi fi system).
 
Ah!!--but that old grass grew so lushly!! Sure it was a bit esotric bu so what?? Were's Popeye when we need him? Why must everything get big TV ( or online) audience. Like the Olympics this has just become another big promotion to make yet more money. It is exciting and like I said I will go and watch but I'm one who would have taken my boat and stayed for two weeks to watch grass grow.
Thank you Bob for the link!!
Michael
 
I'm sure this would be fun to watch. I don't get NBC Sports channel. Tried downloading the app on my dumbphone, no joy :oops: Tried looking it up to watch live on YouTube, still no joy:twisted: Doubt it will be on the evening news --- not in the depth I would like to watch for sure,:crook Maybe I will just call in gone, and show up at the dock in SF :lol:

I can get live audio but no video. BUMMER

The YouTube link says "Sorry, Not available in your country"

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
So I watched yesterdays race on video "YouTube", still fun, incredible boats, cool technology, "foiling" 113,000 pound boat running at 3 times the winds speed (30mpg on a 13knot wind), and lifted by a surfboard to essentially flying on the water.

Just a different type of "sailing" .

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey, just one correction--as I understand it the AC 72 weight is 13,000 lbs not 113,000 lbs... The weight maybe plus or minus a few hundred lbs. But for comparison I was involved in an ultralight monohull we took in the Transpac in 1970 and the weight of a 55 foot monohull was 18,000 lbs--which was almost unheard of at that time. Most 55 footers were closer to 60,000 lbs.
 
Thanks for the correction. I got that weight from one of the comentators as he was explaining the advantages of "foiling" during the race. It was on the AC YouTube channel, race 2. It did seem heavy to me but I didn't look up anything, just thought a 70 foot cat would be a bit heavy, even if it is made of kevlar and carbon fiber.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
My curmudgeon friend admitted after watching the 3rd race last night that it was exciting and that there were some tactics involved--but "It just isn't right" They were saying that about his 55 foot ultra light when it went in the water.

Even more azmazing to me was the fellow from Oracle sailing the foiling moth in the commentary after the race. It looked as if Oracle had several of those. The moth began as a British one design in 1928 of wood, and is 11 feet long The latest incarnation is a boat which is 11 feet long, weight 62#, Sail Area about 80 sq feet, and beam of the hull maybe 2 feet. The tampoline wings are 7 foot beam. She has a keel/board foil, and a rudder foil. Both have trim tabs on the aft end of the horizontal foil. The bow foil is activated by a "whisker" which "reads" the water at the bow of the boat, and is linked to the main board foil to give lift when needed. The rudder tab is controlled by twisting the tiller (on a long extension). These boats foil to weather as well as down wind--and are very exciting to watch--and even more to sail! Wish I was young again!:

Worth the watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcO-QTUJHNk

4th and maybe final of the semi finals of L V cup this PM--worth watching for the technology and San Francisco if nothing else.

Maybe some day we will have foiling C Dorys--there are a number of power cats which will foil with wings between the hulls
 
When I was in college I learned to sail on an OK Dingy. Kind of an overgrown surfboard with a big sail. I thought it was hard to keep that rightside up in the water. That Moth looks like a trip.

Bob, this one is closer to a C-Dory than the Moth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4IUiIqz3Gw

So, If I get foils for SleepyC, would it be more fuel efficiaent and have a higher cruising speed? Yes on the speed, I understand, but would it be more fuel efficient as in miles per gallon?

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
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