dunedin
Well-known member
I have never quite understood the change from foiling catamarans to the weird hybrid that they have introduced now for the AC - very complex beasts, part monohull leadmine and part foiler (why ballast weights on a foiler?). Seems neither one thing or another.
And these sharp foil/ballast keels sticking out the sides seem like a fatal accident in waiting for boats supposed to do (high speed) close quarters match racing.
Throwing away the previous technology and starting anew has dramatically increased the costs - and hence reduced the number of teams competing. And with the wide disparity between designs, it is quite likely many of the matches when they actually commence will be very one sided processions rather than close races. Overall I have lost interest in this oddity.
Meantime we have the SailGP using updated versions of the previous AC technology, very fast foiling cats giving close and dramatic racing.
Even Ben Ainslie’s INEOS AC team have now joined the SailGP circuit.
SailGP looks to continue to be the one to watch in 2020.
And these sharp foil/ballast keels sticking out the sides seem like a fatal accident in waiting for boats supposed to do (high speed) close quarters match racing.
Throwing away the previous technology and starting anew has dramatically increased the costs - and hence reduced the number of teams competing. And with the wide disparity between designs, it is quite likely many of the matches when they actually commence will be very one sided processions rather than close races. Overall I have lost interest in this oddity.
Meantime we have the SailGP using updated versions of the previous AC technology, very fast foiling cats giving close and dramatic racing.
Even Ben Ainslie’s INEOS AC team have now joined the SailGP circuit.
SailGP looks to continue to be the one to watch in 2020.