Not your grandfather’s America’s Cup

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
By Jay Hart | The Turnstile

When did sailors start wearing helmets?
If you haven't been watching the America's Cup – and odds are you haven't – then you've missed the transformation of a stodgy old race into an X Game.
Yes, the America's Cup – to be decided on Wednesday in a final, winner-take all race between the United States and New Zealand – has become an extreme sport, complete with breakneck speeds (on water anyway), whip-fast turns and danger, so much so that one sailor has already died.
These are the lengths to which the sport has gone to in order to attract an audience that, for the most part, isn't there. Because really, where's the excitement in watching a boat jibe, whatever that means?

Well, the answer is in the AC72 – a sort of Formula 1 car on water. Gone are the single-hull Edsels of years past, replaced by dual-hulled Ferraris that sport 131-foot sails and foils – L-shaped fins – that actually lift the catamaran entirely out of the water. The result: speeds upwards of 50 mph and, subsequently, the necessity for helmets.
"Ultimately, these things fly like an aircraft in terms of wings," Adam May, an analyst for the Sweden's Artemis Racing, told the Associated Press. "Water is so much denser than air that you can do that with very small wings. The lift and how it's generated is like an aircraft. The takeoff part is the easier part. If you've got enough power from the sail – your engine – effectively, you can get the boat to enough speed to take off. The hard part is how you fly it through a very narrow height range, how you keep it at a certain height."

Therein lies the danger. A boat rising out of the water creates a scenario where it can fall back in, and if done at the wrong angle can nosedive, causing the boat to topple over. This is apparently what happened to the Artemis Racing boat during practice in May, an accident that claimed the life of Andrew Simpson, a British sailor and two-time Olympic medalist.

Some have called into question the safety of this kind of sailing. Italian sailor Luca Devoti told SkyNews the boats "are pushing the boundaries of the sport and going into unknown territory."
"I don't know what they are going to do from now onwards because this brings a real issue which is the safety of the sailors," he said. "It is not for me to say, but everybody could foresee this disaster had a great chance of happening."

Three months later, the America's Cup is pushing toward one of the great finishes in its 162-year history, as the American team, financed by billionaire Larry Ellison, has come all the way back from an 8-1 deficit to force a Game 7 of sorts – a winner-take all race Wednesday in San Francisco Bay that will decide who claims the cup.
The seven straight wins by Oracle Team USA puts the Americans on the verge of one of the great comebacks in sports history, the Kiwis on the brink of one of the all-time chokes and the America's Cup in a spotlight brighter than it could have ever hoped for – with or without the AC72.
 

XV-1

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2010
3,591
2,573
1,860
Sydney
Oracle Team USA is that in name and $$ only as 1/3rd of the crew are Australian, 1/3rd are Kiwis and the rest are Brits, Dutch etc. with only a token Yank or two on the boat.
The Skipper is an Aussie.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
Sport is universal. In the English Premier league (soccer) 60%+ of its players are from outside of England. Team ownership is also not exclusive ...Manchester United (American), Chelsea (Russian) to name but two.

Can you say Baseball?

I don't think it matters much IMO, where the athletes come from. Unless, of course, it's The Olympics, the World Cup, etc.....oh, and U.S. Presidential elections. LOL!
 

dan31

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2010
1,016
365
1,153
SF Bay
I have enjoyed watching the Oracle drive to press for a race 19. I went down to watch the races two weeks ago and the Kiwi's wiped the floor with team Oracle. I thought it was over. Team Oracle has improved with every race. I feel for the Kiwi's as today will require a mistake be Oracle. I'm rooting for the Kiwi's.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I have enjoyed watching the Oracle drive to press for a race 19. I went down to watch the races two weeks ago and the Kiwi's wiped the floor with team Oracle. I thought it was over. Team Oracle has improved with every race. I feel for the Kiwi's as today will require a mistake be Oracle. I'm rooting for the Kiwi's.

congrats on national pride there Dan ;)
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Not a big fan of Larry.

I think they have one American on the crew. Oracle should win, but not likely to happen today given the wind limit and todays breeze. They should clinch it tomorrow.

i'm not a fan either but heck this race is right in your backyard and I know who I'd be screaming for if I were there
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
412
1,210
Northern NY
Defended and from an 8-1 deficit. Greatest comeback in sports history. Too bad 85% of America has no clue about this sport. SF bay is the perfect venue with it's unique combination of tide and wind.
 

Don Hills

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2013
366
1
323
Wellington, New Zealand
That last race was the acme of the series - perfect sailing. No-one made a mistake. The fastest boat won on the day. The part that I find amusing is that it came down to, effectively, Kiwis vs Kiwis. As well as the crewing, the improvements to Oracle's performance were largely due to them flying in Kiwi designers to sort the boat out.
 

dan31

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2010
1,016
365
1,153
SF Bay
Big congrats to team oracle. They persevered through incredible odds. It would be great to get a full accounting of performance improvements made to the boat. Spithill and crew have my respect.

Next cup should be even better racing throughout the regatta.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Big congrats to team oracle. They persevered through incredible odds. It would be great to get a full accounting of performance improvements made to the boat. Spithill and crew have my respect.

Next cup should be even better racing throughout the regatta.

I heard on the news this evening that Ellison spent $100M in the development of the boat

But this ain't sailing it is amphibious flying
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
6,455
29
405
I heard on the news this evening that Ellison spent $100M in the development of the boat

But this ain't sailing it is amphibious flying

lol

And one reason this "race" leaves me cold. Not much "racing"IMHO. Lot of Tech though, too much of it IMHO.
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,006
512
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
is there prize money involved or just bragging rights?

quite a steep price to pay to stroke your ego!
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
is there prize money involved or just bragging rights?

quite a steep price to pay to stroke your ego!


I don't think Larry E. is too concerned about spending 100MIL here or there. This is all about ego and prestige. The ultimate big boys and their toys!
 

dan31

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2010
1,016
365
1,153
SF Bay
I hope the defender returns to a more affordable class of boat for the next cup. I would prefer a more advanced monohull 12 meter class for more participants in the run up to the cup. Speed seems to be the name of the game so it will be hard not to stick with a revised AC72 or AC45 cat class.

I hope they keep it in San Francisco.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing