Americas Cup 37 about to commence

[dunedin]

Anybody getting excited about the start of the Americas Cup? I see the GB team have today announced their race crew - INEOS Britannia announces America's Cup race crew

I must admit that, in spite of knowing some of the team / crew, I can’t get terribly excepted by this - will be following loosely, but less interest to me than the Olympic Sailing and Vendee Globe etc.
And it’s not old fogey nostalgia for the good old days of slow monohulls - yes the J Class would have been an impressive sight (seen a fleet of them, close to, racing at Falmouth a few years back - awesome), but the 12 Metre and IACC were fairly dull lead mines . The foiling cats were perhaps the peak of interest, so new at the time and amazingly close racing at huge speed. But this iteration seems just more of the same from last time.

I hope to be proved wrong and end up watching team GB in the final on live TV - perhaps

 

[Minerva]

I wonder what the first law suit / team to be sued will be?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

If GB are in the final, we’ll be in Barcelona. Yes, we are reasonably excited. Have known at least slightly several of the crew, most particularly when they were in short trousers.

 

[capnsensible]

For those who have it, being televised on TNT.

 

[dunedin]

I wonder what the first law suit / team to be sued will be?

They are already into argument over “honeycomb” mesh cockpit covers on one boat, and not even started racing yet

 

[MoodySabre]

Hoping it will be on Youtube.

 

[Minerva]

I presume the highlights will be watchable without forking out for a subscription sports channel? I’ll certainly have a watch if they are!

 

[Martin_J]

Hoping it will be on Youtube.

My first youtube search came up with the @AmericasCup page. It seems to have a link to something live, scheduled for tomorrow and it looks like previous live streams are still there to view..

Link below then click on 'live'

Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup Barcelona

 

[capnsensible]

This link may be of interest including free streaming sites.

First glimpse of the AC75 racing

 

[flaming]

Well so far it does look this is actually going to be about the sailors. Ineos lost that on a shift, speeds were very even.

 

[jlavery]

Well so far it does look this is actually going to be about the sailors. Ineos lost that on a shift, speeds were very even.

Yes, although Ben was a bit despondent I think regarding boatspeed. "They sailed around us" - but pretty even in terms of performance from what I could see. French need to sort their act out though!

 

[PeterV]

I watched it with some trepidation. INEOS in particular. They don’t seem to be up in the top league when sailing identical boats so I worry that even if their boat is fast enough they’re going to fail. Emirates look to me as if they’ll just carry on walking away from everyone else.

 

[PeterV]

Another day’s racing now and I wonder if there’s any point to the race from 1min after the start, they’ve all been decided by then.

 

[tat27]

I wonder if the lack of comments here is reflective of the complete lack of spectacle 30 seconds after the gun ?
I try to get interested, but this has little reference with the yacht racing I do and have done for years, with no visible crew manoeuvres, sail changes or over-taking. I would rather watch reruns of the IACCs from Valencia.

 

[Jonny A]

I appreciate the AC has rarely produced close racing, but wow have they doubled down this time.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Just caught up with the first 2 days. My advice is watch the start then skip to the next race. I love the tech but it's not a great watch.

 

[Ingwe]

Considering that the starts look to be the key (which is normally the case in match racing) why have they set up the boats so the helm can't see behind or to leeward? fine the other crew can give a commentary but if you have boats that are closing at 80+ knots there is no way you can react to what the other boat is doing in time.

I suspect the main pre start tactic may end up being get into the other boats blindspot and then attack to get a pre start penalty because the other boat just can't react in time.

 

[Jonny A]

They have two helms, one on each side of the boat.

 

[Ingwe]

They have two helms, one on each side of the boat.

I am assuming though that only one is in control at any given point otherwise it would cause all sorts of problems and I would imagine that it is normally the windward helm who has control. Also the helms and the trimmers are all in cockpit type seats that face fully forwards which makes it difficult to turn your head enough to look behind yourself so in the pre start if you are the boat leading in towards the line you have a pretty poor view of a boat comming up behind you and the helm that is looking over their shoulder to keep an eye on the other boat won't be the one steering so they are having to talk to the other helm to tell them what to do so from the point when the chasing boat accelerates to go for the hook you are going to have at least a three second gap before the leading boat responds - by which point the chasing boat might be going nearly ten knots faster and is in complete control to either force the penalty or better still force the other boat to do too sharp a manouvre and come off the foils.

 

[dunedin]

I am assuming though that only one is in control at any given point otherwise it would cause all sorts of problems and I would imagine that it is normally the windward helm who has control. Also the helms and the trimmers are all in cockpit type seats that face fully forwards which makes it difficult to turn your head enough to look behind yourself so in the pre start if you are the boat leading in towards the line you have a pretty poor view of a boat comming up behind you and the helm that is looking over their shoulder to keep an eye on the other boat won't be the one steering so they are having to talk to the other helm to tell them what to do so from the point when the chasing boat accelerates to go for the hook you are going to have at least a three second gap before the leading boat responds - by which point the chasing boat might be going nearly ten knots faster and is in complete control to either force the penalty or better still force the other boat to do too sharp a manouvre and come off the foils.

Presumably the “helm” helms - and the tactician looks around and calls the tactics.