Americas Cup - thrilling racing at last

Boy. I'm glad that's over. After watching a couple of the races where I was just astonished at how fast the things are, I lost interest. The actual racing was about as boring as a goalless draw in a third division match on a wet Tuesday evening. I don't spoze Larry Ellison is reading this thread, but just in case, can it be raced for next time in boats that need visible crew work to get them around the course? Spinnakers would be good, asymmetrics OK, mizzen staysails bloody marvellous.
 
markhomer said:
for a start they changed their tactics (and tactician ) and started racing it like a catamaran , not a monohull :)
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I'm not sure changing the tactician made it go faster in a straight line, though.
Rum_Pirate's question was asked of Jimmy Spithill at some of the daily post race press conferences (they are on YouTube) and I'm pretty certain he said, "I'd love to tell you, but I can't" or similar...
 
Rum_Pirate said:
Been asked elsewhere. What did the Team USA do to their catamaran to change it's speed so dramatically halfway through the series?
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I got this off Team Gb's site...
" Oracle employed a battery powered aircraft stabilisation system that was developed by Boeing for aircraft. This was not functioning correctly in the first few races and was recalibrated in the middle of the series by the NZ boatbuilding team employed by Larry Ellison, and flown in specially to reset the system. From that time Team NZ never had a chance as they were reliant on manual grinding done by the sailors whereas Oracle had a push button system run by a computer. A little akin to steroids in sport really. Oracle really was not the same class of boat as the Team NZ boat.
"
that would make a difference

also another thread suggests you have to learn to make use of foul current to take-off on foils like an aeroplane takes off upwind, maybe being pasted in the early races taught them that. sailing Deliberaely choosing to sail upcurrent isnt intuitively right is it.

Certainly the Oracle Team outsailed the Kiwis once they got their form.
(I can't call them Americans, they mostly weren't!).
 
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chewi said:
I got this off Team Gb's site...
" Oracle employed a battery powered aircraft stabilisation system that was developed by Boeing for aircraft.
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If it's true and that widely known then I presume that the measurers knew of it too and were satisfied it didn't contravene any of the rules, however if this stabilisation system was on the rudder foils (as I've read elsewhere) then I'm gobsmacked that it doesn't break the spirit of at least two rules; 1) that the rudder foils must be fixed and not adjustable during racing and 2) the use of stored energy can only be for information and control systems all other motive power is to be manpower. :confused:
 
emsworthy said:
If it's true and that widely known then I presume that the measurers knew of it too and were satisfied it didn't contravene any of the rules, however if this stabilisation system was on the rudder foils (as I've read elsewhere) then I'm gobsmacked that it doesn't break the spirit of at least two rules; 1) that the rudder foils must be fixed and not adjustable during racing and 2) the use of stored energy can only be for information and control systems all other motive power is to be manpower. :confused:
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yes I wondered that too.
I suspect that the battery was providing power to a transducer that provided "information" to a "control system" that used the Hydro to trim the dagger board, M'lud.
 
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