Lightwave395
Well-known member
Yes I know it's gone noon:
AC75s Solo Round the Island
Cowes, Isle of Wight:
Sir Ben Ainslie and Grant Dalton today announced that there will be an America's Cup event (name TBD pending sponsorship final contract provisions) in Cowes this summer on August 20, the 170th anniversary of the Hundred Guinea Cup race in 1851.
Two of the foiled beasts will compete head to head on the same course used by the Round the Island Race, with the starting gun at 10 AM. It is expected that with even moderate winds the first boat could finish by lunchtime.
"50 nautical miles in yachts capable of 50 knots. Even I can do the math on that one" said race director Beaurigard T. "Skruggs" McTavish. "I wouldn't be surprised however to see them actually sail a much longer course, one taking them deeper into the channel to be assured of higher winds to maintain foiling speed."
America's Cup rules and protocols will not apply to this one-off, bragging rights contest. Fully powered winches will be allowed, with the effect that all the grinders will be replaced by winches and computers. Ditto with control of the foils. In fact, only a single human being will be aboard... and that's mostly to make sure the computers stay functional.
"The enormous cost of getting the boats to Cowes and the very brief time sailed means we're hard pressed to cover costs with sponsor dollars" said Dalton. "The biggest expense to the recent campaign was of course crew salaries and housing. With the level of supercomputing power we bring to bear, we're confident that not only could we replace the entire crew, we could, in theory, run these carbon contraptions as radio controlled yachts without a single sentient soul on board."
Sir Ben is a bit more cautious: "We simply must have someone on board. If the computers kick offline at 50 knots, drop a foil when they shouldn't, you'd not just see a pitchpole. You'd see a cartwheel. Not quite on the scale of Donald Campbell and Bluebird, but easily career-ending to both skipper and boat."
Possible 2024 America's Cup syndicate head Larry Ellison said he welcomed the increased attention to the Cup but warned of a runaway push towards computers taking over so much of the human element in sailing. "What they propose sounds like f**kng Skynet to me. A bit of AI in manufacturing and data processing is clearly the future, but what if the AC75 becomes sentient and take offence at the Royal Yacht Squadron's start cannon? You want to see an AC75 striding down the High Street on its foils decapitating tourists? Not me! "
AC75s Solo Round the Island
Sir Ben Ainslie and Grant Dalton today announced that there will be an America's Cup event (name TBD pending sponsorship final contract provisions) in Cowes this summer on August 20, the 170th anniversary of the Hundred Guinea Cup race in 1851.
Two of the foiled beasts will compete head to head on the same course used by the Round the Island Race, with the starting gun at 10 AM. It is expected that with even moderate winds the first boat could finish by lunchtime.
"50 nautical miles in yachts capable of 50 knots. Even I can do the math on that one" said race director Beaurigard T. "Skruggs" McTavish. "I wouldn't be surprised however to see them actually sail a much longer course, one taking them deeper into the channel to be assured of higher winds to maintain foiling speed."
America's Cup rules and protocols will not apply to this one-off, bragging rights contest. Fully powered winches will be allowed, with the effect that all the grinders will be replaced by winches and computers. Ditto with control of the foils. In fact, only a single human being will be aboard... and that's mostly to make sure the computers stay functional.
"The enormous cost of getting the boats to Cowes and the very brief time sailed means we're hard pressed to cover costs with sponsor dollars" said Dalton. "The biggest expense to the recent campaign was of course crew salaries and housing. With the level of supercomputing power we bring to bear, we're confident that not only could we replace the entire crew, we could, in theory, run these carbon contraptions as radio controlled yachts without a single sentient soul on board."
Sir Ben is a bit more cautious: "We simply must have someone on board. If the computers kick offline at 50 knots, drop a foil when they shouldn't, you'd not just see a pitchpole. You'd see a cartwheel. Not quite on the scale of Donald Campbell and Bluebird, but easily career-ending to both skipper and boat."
Possible 2024 America's Cup syndicate head Larry Ellison said he welcomed the increased attention to the Cup but warned of a runaway push towards computers taking over so much of the human element in sailing. "What they propose sounds like f**kng Skynet to me. A bit of AI in manufacturing and data processing is clearly the future, but what if the AC75 becomes sentient and take offence at the Royal Yacht Squadron's start cannon? You want to see an AC75 striding down the High Street on its foils decapitating tourists? Not me! "
