Americas Cup - and Alinghi drops out

[flaming]

I think on venues, they have some limitations - the pretty windy graphics use triangulation of multiple Lidar, so they need a bay facing prevailing winds where the race course is within range of the shore based Lidar stations and which has clear skies.

If they want to limit the venue in that way, then sure. Might be more about what is possible given the venue. I assume if they had to they could probably mount the lidar on boats or large buoys.

 

[st599]

If they want to limit the venue in that way, then sure. Might be more about what is possible given the venue. I assume if they had to they could probably mount the lidar on boats or large buoys.

I think they need the Lidar to be fully stable - I'll check what was in the presentation I saw.

The next venue seems to be Bay of Naples.

I'm not sure they'll want to ditch the graphics as they say that was key to attracting viewers (although I'd argue selling the rights to EBU/Eurovision probably did more as that made it available to the European public service broadcasters)

 

[dunedin]

Well, for starters the biggest issue now is that nobody can go to a host city with any details - when, how many teams, required facilities, expected fan numbers etc.

But it also cost the city a huge amount of money, that they didn’t come close to directly recouping through ticket sales etc. so the pitch is economic benefit. But at a huge initial outlay. Which of course is a tough sell in the current climate, especially given the concerns above.

So it's Naples in Italy for the next one .....https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/286097/Naples-to-host-2027-Americas-Cup

 

[Cerebus]

Maybe go back to roots - hire the J class fleet and teams draw lots for boats - no electronics permitted - just crew skill - include one race around the Isle of Wight, all in, as the original - Spectacular.

I like this idea.

Last time I watched the cup on tv I was bored silly and a few recent YouTube videos left me just as bored.

 

[Laser310]

I like this idea.

Last time I watched the cup on tv I was bored silly and a few recent YouTube videos left me just as bored.

i also found it pretty boring

 

[Cerebus]

Rumours are starting that Ben has the money....

How much money is needed for this sort of thing?

 

[Cerebus]

I think the americas cup folk need to have a serious bit of introspection as to why they have 2(?) at best boats on the start line in however many years time.

Whereas just had a look at the sailgp last result and saw they had 12 boats on the start line.

I know if I could only choose one event
to watch I’d choose…

FWIW I predict the next Americas cup predominant headlines will be about the court room solicitors. Again.

Hypothetically, what situation would require solicitors?

 

[bedouin]

How much money is needed for this sort of thing?

£100m+ - probably more like £200m to be competitive

 

[Egret]

That's giving employment for a lot of unsung people in the background, on the team and in the suppliers, so very positive,

 

[Cerebus]

£100m+ - probably more like £200m to be competitive

Someone said Sir Ainslie has the money.

Surely Sir Ainslie is does not have that much?

Do they mean he has secured funding from somewhere?

I can only find historical articles:

Ben Ainslie strikes $153m deal to fund America’s Cup bid | CNN

 

[bedouin]

Someone said Sir Ainslie has the money.

Surely Sir Ainslie is does not have that much?

Do they mean he has secured funding from somewhere?

I can only find historical articles:

Ben Ainslie strikes $153m deal to fund America’s Cup bid | CNN

I am sure they mean that Ben Ainslie has raised the money from another backer - and that might explain why things broke down with INEOS, Ben had a back up plan

I do hope he does - it would be a shame if he can't put up a competitive challenge

 

[Ray Purchase]

So, Naples you say......anyone see who stole my boat.

 

[Cerebus]

I am sure they mean that Ben Ainslie has raised the money from another backer - and that might explain why things broke down with INEOS, Ben had a back up plan

I do hope he does - it would be a shame if he can't put up a competitive challenge

I hope he does too. I hope he wins too.

The design of boats this time around look fantastic. Actually the designs have looked fantastic year on year.

Hope the racing is good with some tactics and overtaking back and forth.

 

[bedouin]

I hope he does too. I hope he wins too.

The design of boats this time around look fantastic. Actually the designs have looked fantastic year on year.

Hope the racing is good with some tactics and overtaking back and forth.

The boats and technology last time were stunning but for the most part I didn't think the racing last time was that good. Almost entirely about boat speed with very little in the way of tactics (other than going as fast as possible).

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The boats and technology last time were stunning but for the most part I didn't think the racing last time was that good. Almost entirely about boat speed with very little in the way of tactics (other than going as fast as possible).

Unless they go back to displacement boats, it’ll be just the same. Tactical considerations are trumped by an extra knot or 2 of speed. It’s why I really ‘race’ in the XOD class, and sail Chiara round a course half a dozen times a year.

 

[flaming]

Unless they go back to displacement boats, it’ll be just the same. Tactical considerations are trumped by an extra knot or 2 of speed. It’s why I really ‘race’ in the XOD class, and sail Chiara round a course half a dozen times a year.

The Genie is rather out of the bag on this one I think. Would be very difficult to go back to displacement monos.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The Genie is rather out of the bag on this one I think. Would be very difficult to go back to displacement monos.

Of course. I’m not even meaning that I think they should. My experience of racing in faster boats, beach cats and MOCRA cruiser racers is that fast boats have tactics, just not boat on boat like in displacement classes. The right choices can give you anything up to 5kn of extra speed in a Dragonfly, in foiling classes it could be more again. Hang about to sit on someone’s wind, or go for the gust? No contest.

 

[Chris 249]

That's giving employment for a lot of unsung people in the background, on the team and in the suppliers, so very positive,

But is it more money than was going around when there were more syndicates sailing slower boats? It also seems that there’s a smaller number of sailors each earnng more - is that a positive?

 

[Chris 249]

The Genie is rather out of the bag on this one I think. Would be very difficult to go back to displacement monos.

The World Match Racing Tour did.

The America’s Cup has swung to significantly slower boats on two occasions before, once when they went from L x SA rule 90 ft LWL footers to the 76ft Js which had much more restrictive rules, and of course once when they went to the 12s. It also went to much smaller boats with the little cats, which is something many people said could not happen.

There’s also the question of whether it would be worthwhile to go back to fast monos even if it was difficult. Fleet numbers are well down, sponsors don’t seem to be particularly interested and overall one can say that the current model is not working and has never come close to working as Coutts said it would when he claimed there would be 13 challengers for the first multi AC. As a multi racer the simple fact is that multi racing is not a big part of the sailing scene and never has been - in fact by many objective measures it is a smaller proportion of the sport than it was decades ago when for example multis made up a peak of 10% of the Round The Island fleet and had their own Bermuda and Transpac races. It may well be worth temporary issues to move to a different style.

 

[flaming]

The World Match Racing Tour did.

The America’s Cup has swung to significantly slower boats on two occasions before, once when they went from L x SA rule 90 ft LWL footers to the 76ft Js which had much more restrictive rules, and of course once when they went to the 12s. It also went to much smaller boats with the little cats, which is something many people said could not happen.

There’s also the question of whether it would be worthwhile to go back to fast monos even if it was difficult. Fleet numbers are well down, sponsors don’t seem to be particularly interested and overall one can say that the current model is not working and has never come close to working as Coutts said it would when he claimed there would be 13 challengers for the first multi AC. As a multi racer the simple fact is that multi racing is not a big part of the sailing scene and never has been - in fact by many objective measures it is a smaller proportion of the sport than it was decades ago when for example multis made up a peak of 10% of the Round The Island fleet and had their own Bermuda and Transpac races. It may well be worth temporary issues to move to a different style.

A lot of truth in that. But I think the issue is that displacement monos have never made for a good spectacle to anyone other than committed sailors. And the budgets required, even for a displacement mono, are such that you need either a large sponsor (who would expect visibility and return) or a billionaire willing to chuck money at it.
With foiling the teams can at least pretend to potential sponsors that they're going to grow the audience beyond hardcore sailors. And to an extent sail GP is quite a good argument for that.