Thanks Barry,
Scuttlebutt the online sailing news letter had a piece about the launching with some photos yesterday.
This is going to be an exciting 3 months leading up to the America's Cup March 6 thru 21 for the races.
One interesting fact is that the sails on these "flying wings", come all of the way to the deck and the deck/hull is basically also part of the sailing rig! The boats have more in common with air planes and race cars than many our traditional sailboats. They are also full of strain gauges and transducers which go to a main computer on the boat (and to the techies on land.)
Here is a tracking map for The Globe Vendee around the World Race, whichis also going on currently. This race is single handed 60 foot boats. Nineteen of these boats are have hydrofoils similar to the America's Cup boats. However they are much heavier and take more breeze to foil. There are six women who are solo racing this boats out of 31 skippers and boats.
Post # 410 On this page of Sailing Anarchy there is a 23 minute video of the various boats. Down a little further (Post 478, there is also a photo comparing a whole host of different foils. These boats ha)ve a number of similarities to the American's cup boats, in that the "grinder" stores "power" as well as directly pulls in sails. Also there are strain gauges on every piece of rigging, in the mast, boom, sheets, and even in the foils. You are basically running a computer as well as navigating, weather routing, and "sailing"--but not as we think of it.
Post #602 has a nice video about foiling and the foiling boats. How they are more like airplanes than sailboats as we have traditionally thought of them. The author eludes to some of the similarities with the America's cup boats.
The first place boat has sailed over 4700 miles in about 12 days--or close to 400 miles a day. The last day he has averaged over 23 knots, and they are nearing the coast of Brazil/Rio, as they get ready to "Slingshot" across the S. Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean. This is where the speed will open up. They are hitting 19 to 20 knots regularly--and they have not started the foiling run yet! (The boats have to have substantial wind and a reach.(70 to 120* relative wind). When foiling 30 to 40 knots of boat speed is possible. But at slower speed there is more drag from the foils, than non foiling boats.
One other piece of sailing news: Frank Butler, the founder of Catalina Yachts, died at age 92. The passing of an era. He thought he had built over 75,000 sailboats!
