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Freaky cutting edge, just like the AC should be doing.
I wonder if they'll be safer than the big foiling cats. The only objection I had was the level of risk the crews are exposed to for others enjoyment. I don't buy the argument that the crews are professionals. They will accept any risk thrown at them, as the attraction/advantage of being named to a AC crew is too overwhelming.
Freaky cutting edge, just like the AC should be doing.
I wonder if they'll be safer than the big foiling cats. The only objection I had was the level of risk the crews are exposed to for others enjoyment. I don't buy the argument that the crews are professionals. They will accept any risk thrown at them, as the attraction/advantage of being named to a AC crew is too overwhelming.
I think the pendulum has swung too far towards the focus on electronics, technology and rule-beating and away from match racing skills. Couldn’t we have exciting high speed racing on VOR type yachts without having to go to the bleeding edge that the AC boats seem to be pushing?
We had a foil hydrodynamicist from Oracle give a talk at our club about the issues involved with stalling, and cavitation at high speeds. He had some incredible videos. The windward foil sticking so far outboard could make roundings and w/l situations interesting.
Foiling boats have been around for a while. Hobie produced one in the 90s called a Trifoil. Cool boats, used to see a guy zipping around Toronto Harbour with one with a helmet and ski goggles on.
I recently saw it come up for sale at a rwasonable price. It took considerable discipline no to buy it.
Personally there’s two areas of interest in racing regardless of mode (air, land or sea).
The skills, fitness and guts of the racers.
V
The technology developed to be faster and have the machine remain functional for the duration of the race.
Current racers are obsolete at time of completion of build in all classes. Technology is moving along that fast.
Still for me the people part should be more important than the technology. I’m fascinated by the technology. Don’t get me wrong but it seems recent ACs are determined by the engineers not the sailors so it has little interest to me other than learning about the boats.
I’ll closely follow the rtw races. I don’t watch AC in real time.
The America's Cup has always been more of a design competition than a pure sail boat race. Absent breakdowns or bad luck, the faster boat always wins. Sailing and match racing skills are important; witness what Dennis Conner was able to do with Liberty against Australia II. The Aussies were clearly the faster and more manuverable boat by far, and yet DC was able to beat them in a race straight up because he was the best match racing sailor on the planet. But even DC couldn't overcome the faster boat in a best of seven series.
If you want a pure sailing skills race, then a strict one-design match race format is what you want. But that ain't the America's Cup. We've inched closer to that, as the boats have progressed from the 12 meter rule (allowing for a relatively wide range of designs) to the IACC (more limitations on design differences) to where we are now, with most major features standardized, and the design differences limited to only a few (albeit major) components.
I don't know if the Deed of Gift (the document that basically sets out the rules for competition) could ever be interpreted to limit a challenger's boat to a one design. Maybe someday. But given the billionaire mind-set that governs the players, I doubt those guys are anxious to give up any potential advantage.
I'm sure I'll watch. The last AC broadcast was excellent. Well thought out graphics to make it an easier spectator sport on TV. They also did a good job of showing the competitors themselves. If you don't make sport about the people, it's no more than watching a computer compete.
I can't relate to the trans oceanic or rtw races. Vidoe seems edited or chosen for effect, or you really have to follow online. It's like watching a never ending baseball season, by checking box scores each day and seeing some highlight reels.
Foiling for sure in interesting technology to go fast on the water. I don't imagine this will distill down into the yachts people buy and use for local and distance cruising. But I could be wrong.
As far as international competition goes there should be two branches... one more traditional designs such we you see in the Sydney Hobart (and other) distance races... and high tech designs which is where the AC seems to be heading. These races may be interesting to watch because of media technology advances and short courses... more like a sprint than a marathon.
I have mixed feelings about these developments / changes in the AC. I probably will watch in wonder at a sport that I feel I haven't a clue how to participate in as a sailor.
I agree with Sander and others....will watch the AC with interest for the competition and in awe of the technology and beauty of the boats, but not with the same connection to it as as sailor that I had as a kid watching Ted Hood and Dennis Connor sailing Twelves.
Today’s AC races are like watching rocket launches or Grand Prix races or other high tech, high dollar events that are enjoyable to watch but so far removed from the reality of daily life as to seem like science fiction or an action movie.
Back in the day I could sail my dad’s American 16 on lake Martin in Alabama and believe that if I could get that (way too tiny) jib trimmed well enough, and time my tacks at the perfect times, I, too, could beat any challengers.....
Have watched the AC in the past. Both at Newport and San Diego. It was great fun. Understood what the tacticians, captains etc. where trying to do. Could see the mistakes, bad starts missed evolutions without interpretation from another.
Have Watched recent ACs. Leaves me cold. Don’t understand what if any decisions are made by the sailors. Find watching guys on bicycles or grinding just doesn’t do it for me.
Although coverage of the RTW races is spotty understand it without explanation. Understand how awesome southern ocean sailing is although have never done it. Understand endurance, strength and smarts. Find it incredible.
Think watching boats zip around when allowed to sail within a ~10 kts wind window on calm seas isn’t what AC used to be and all the poorer for it.
I think the AC going back to a mono hull was maybe to cater to nostalgia a bit, but I can't see them going back to sailing lead mines at displacement speeds.
I agree that the races need to be interesting and engaging in order for them to have a following, and technology drives fast and fast means fun.....but it seems to me with the trajectory they are currently on it won’t be long before there is on board AI controlling the helm, sail trim, and foils on a graphene nanofiber quantum “sailboat” in these races with avatar only crew.....
I agree that the races need to be interesting and engaging in order for them to have a following, and technology drives fast and fast means fun.....but it seems to me with the trajectory they are currently on it won't be long before there is on board AI controlling the helm, sail trim, and foils on a graphene nanofiber quantum "sailboat" in these races with avatar only crew.....
This is one of the bastardizations of the AC. It's fundamentally a private race between yacht clubs, not nations. I believe you can only have one yacht club per nation, at least at some point in the eliminations. In order to make it a commercialized spectator sport, national pride is attracted, but it's still owner v owner, club v club, not nation v nation. As most know, the crews are now fully paid professionals, with no national restrictions.
My sense is most sailors don't care that much for super fast racing as much as skill and so the "old" style slower boats have more appeal to sailors. We marvel at technology, but most sailors can't "relate" to it as "sailing". The new ocean racers are fantastic and moving very fast and they are not out of the water. That works for me.
I think beach cat sailors, possibly multi hull sailors in general can relate to speed. There are some pretty quick racing dinghies too.
I have owned two 15+ knot boats under 20 ft (Fireball and P16) and they both cost less than $1500, so the cost of entry is about the same as a mid quality road bike.
Amen! I had a Nacra 5.2 I raced for several years when I was in my 20's that cost about a grand at the time and was an absolute blast to sail. I loved the competition and the speed of the boats....but at the end of the day winning and losing was mostly decided by who was the better sailor (and partly by who had the money for newer sails).
The speed itself is likely thrilling to many. I think there is a greater benefit, because it allows for a boat to catch up, if the lead boat screws up, even if they're far ahead. Keeps attention. It also allows for the individual heats to be shorter in time, rather than trying to watch an hour or tow of buoy racing. A greater number of individual, albeit less time consuming, heats likely keeps more attention too.
It's always been a financial arms race between rich men. I'm OK with that and I'm glad we get to watch. I don't want to race formula 1 or motorcycles either, but I watch it once a year or so. It's cool. So is AC. So are the Olympics. I like my Corsair, but if I ever chose to race again, I'll go back to some type of one-design, maybe a cat, but more likely a mono.
AC racing is much like NASCAR or INDY open wheel racing. Not many of those racing machines running around town. They are also toys of the rich and famous. Still the technology does make it's way to Toyota, Ford, BMW, and the rest, so us mortals can play. I have no problem with billionaires putting up the seed money. If I could get a gig on an AC boat you could bet I'd grab it. How many of us would grab a Gunboat if we could? Great conversation.
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