Americas cup 2023

[harrytom 643]

Who even new the preliminarily regatta was on?? First I heard when they announced racing was cancelled due to wind

 

https://www.americascup.com/

 

[Black Panther 1,587]

Nope

[Psyche 633]

I can see the level of interest in the cup is at an all time high 

[Romany 162]

It cracked (lightening on the course frightened everybody) then fizzled, and then somebody won on a technicality cos the wind sucked.

Yay. 

[waikiore 399]

The Squadron put on viewing -I doubt anyone stayed, Team Dalton and his chinese boats just dont compare with the NZ built and run Sail GP races

[Clipper 343]

I watched. was similar to the Sail GP races, more covering tacks, fun  to see upwind starts

The weather sucked and that ruined it

[waikiore 399]

But half the fleet over at the start trying to foil? Not racing as we know it .

[Addem 95]

Certainly not racing as we know it. 

4 crew on a 40ft foiler.

No one actually looking at the sails. 

Auto pilot making ride height decisions. 

Adjustments all done by buttons. 

But. Did you notice the amount (frequency and range) of main  traveller adjustment?  A human would probably never do that much.

But there were clearly crews that knew how to get the best from the gizmo's provided and those that didn't. 

But the results from le  French with least time in tbe boat show that the tech can be mastered quickly. 

Im sure that this is all progress and We will see this sort of stuff available at a high end soon (ie super yacht and maxi) and then trickle down to weekend racers. 

[waikiore 399]

Yes the mainsheet adjustments are a revelation -if a little jerky at this stage.

[Psyche 633]

15 hours ago, Addem said:

trickle down to weekend racers.

Unlikely unless the rules are rewritten, RRS requires humans to trim the sails etc. On the  AC boats its pretty much oil pumpers and button pressers with a tactician pointing the way.

[waikiore 399]

Come now Psyche -I will shout you a rum when you foil single handed into issy bay and the anchor self deploys with digital positioning in your Stewart 2050 model.

[Addem 95]

7 hours ago, Psyche said:

Unlikely unless the rules are rewritten, RRS requires humans to trim the sails etc. On the  AC boats its pretty much oil pumpers and button pressers with a tactician pointing the way.

The RRS are for most sailing rsces but not all.  Any race committee can change them. 

[Romany 162]

sings There's a foiling thing on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow...

The problem?

Its sailing Jim but not as we know it. 

[Psyche 633]

Foilers in club racing are unlikely to happen anytime in the forseeable, Im not talking wings or boards but boats capable of taking the 5-8 crew plus that form the bulk of the fleet. If you ignore the very high cost and complexity, the lack of dual purpose use, but focus on what skill level it takes to operate one then it's pretty obvious that not many people could make the transition. Im not opposed to foilers but in gear sports the more complex and technical it is the less popular they become. People forget that in sailing relative speed is what its all about.

The RRS can be changed i.e allowing auto pilots for short handed racing but ultimately it should be a contest of skill or whats the point?, Im not interested in the ChatGPT vs Xbox cup where machines make the calls and pull the strings

[Black Panther 1,587]

Best keelboat racing I ever did was this fleet

https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/columbia-5-5-meter-comeback/

 

I was on the pale blue boat.

[khayyam 68]

We shall see. Foiling had certainly made it into windsurfers and wings for the hoi polloi. Why not larger?

[Psyche 633]

7 minutes ago, khayyam said:

We shall see. Foiling had certainly made it into windsurfers and wings for the hoi polloi. Why not larger?

Boards are one thing, foiling doesnt scale all that well, plus in the ac there were combined closing speeds of 60-90kts. Assume that everyone is apparent wind sailing at 20,30 kts multiplied by x number of boats in a sport where crossing your opposition whenever you can is tactics 101...

[Ex Machina 366]

29 minutes ago, Psyche said:

Boards are one thing, foiling doesnt scale all that well, plus in the ac there were combined closing speeds of 60-90kts. Assume that everyone is apparent wind sailing at 20,30 kts multiplied by x number of boats in a sport where crossing your opposition whenever you can is tactics 101...

Then there’s insurance ….

[Psyche 633]

2 hours ago, Black Panther said:

Best keelboat racing I ever did was this fleet

https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/columbia-5-5-meter-comeback/

 

I was on the pale blue boat.

Whats not to love about a fleet whos gun boat is called Sonic Death Monkey 

[K4309 258]

Did American Magic ever get the dispensation to not race in Jeddah and not cop a fine for defaulting? They raised legitimate safety concerns about American Sailors on a boat with a huge American flag floating around on water where almost everyone would love to kill an American.

This story may give some insights as to what motivated Dalton to take the AC to Saudi Arabia:

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has admitted for the first time that he has been “sportswashing” its image and “will continue doing so” by investing in the likes of Newcastle United, LIV Golf and bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the country.

In a stunning admission, Mohammed bin Salman, the Gulf state’s de-facto leader, declared he would “continue doing sportswashing” due to its impact on the economy there and did not care what others thought of that.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of investing hundreds of millions of pounds in sport to distract attention from human rights violations committed by the country. They include the execution of 81 men in a single day last year, women’s rights abuses, the criminalisation of homosexuality, the restriction of free speech, and its role in the war in Yemen.

Bin Salman was also implicated personally in the brutal 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, although the crown prince has denied any involvement.

 

“If sportswashing increases my GDP by 1% then I will continue doing sportswashing,” he told Fox News.

Asked if he was “OK” with a term coined by critics of such activity, he replied: “I don’t care. I have one per cent growth GDP from sport and I’m aiming for another one-and-a-half per cent – call it whatever you want. We’re going to get that one-and-a-half per cent.”

'I don't care': Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman vows to keep 'sportswashing' to boost economy | Stuff.co.nz