America's Cup

I was still getting home from Colombia today, so I am going to put up another short clip for tonight - this is a clip from today's race in the preliminary round of the America's Cup. These races are for the Louis Vuitton Cup and the chance to race Team Oracle USA for the famed America's Cup. Right now, Italy's  team Prada is up against the New Zealand team in the finals of the Louis Vuitton. There are a series of races, and the first team to win 7 races gets the Cup and the chance to go against the USA for the major trophy - The America;s Cup!!

The exciting races are being held in San Francisco Bay - I only wish O could see them live.

New Zealand won today's race and are up 5 - 1 against Italy. There are 2 races tomorrow (Saturday) and if NZ wins these races, they will have won this LV Cup and will go into the final races against the USA in September.

The remarkable thing is watching these boats race - they are a thing of beauty. The boats are  very high-tech 22 meter long (72 feet) AC72 wing-sail catamarans, that can reach speeds of  over 40 knots (46mph) and just seem to fly over the water - especially when they are up on their foils. These are truly the world's fasted sailing boats.

You can see a summary of today's race: HERE

Here are a few stats from Jack Griffin - guest blogging: HERE

Wing (sail)

Bigger than the wing of a 747, the rigid wing sail is 72 feet (21.9 meters) tall and has five times the surface area of the wings that have been used to date on the AC45s. Flaps on the trailing edge provide lift. The flaps have multiple segments to shape the wing to match the wind and control the power.

Daggerboards

Now the center of atttention, the daggerboard shapes enable hydrofoiling. Emirates Team New Zealand were the first to exploit a loophole in the design rule — no movable control surfaces are permitted on the daggerboards or rudders. But moving the entire daggerboard gives enough control to permit the AC72s to fly. The control systems are closely guarded secrets.

Ergonomics

Perhaps the sleeper issue in AC72 design, deck layout and crew choreography are not as sexy as wing sails and hydrofoiling. The severely short-handed crew of 11 must provide all the power for the maneuvers — no stored energy is permitted. Hoist the gennaker 130 feet to the top of the wing. Furl and unfurl it during gybes. Raise and lower the daggerboards during every tack and gybe. Trim the headsail and the wing. And sprint across the trampoline netting – 30 percent wider than a doubles tennis court – at every maneuver.

Up on the foils - flying

Go New Zealand!!

Update - Saturday Aug. 24th

New Zealand won another race today - setting a course record of over 47 knots (54 mph) - a wonderful sight to behold. The 2nd race today was postponed due to high winds and if NZ wins tomorrow they will have the Louis Vuitton Cup and the honor of going against the USA for the America's Cup