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Too much power, ya what?


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OK I'm officially confused.

 

Lots of comments coming out of AL about how the Cat was over powered. Also they were seen taking on and dumping water ballast. They dumped a pile just before the finish as well. It looks to hold quite a quantity judging by one dump I saw but then it is a tad larger than a GBE so it may just be a relativity thing.

 

From what I saw it appears the Tri had power to burn and even looked like it may have de-powered once or twice, knot that that is easy to see so that's purely me guts thinking. I do believe there were some games being played by one or both boats for some moments there. And I don't think the Tri was being pushed a full tit the entire time.

 

But the Cat looked short of power the way it appeared to be struggling to hold a hull up for a fair whack of the beat at least.

 

So what gives. Why can a big Cat be overpowered yet struggle to fly a hull, to me that just doesn't stack up or am I missing something*?

 

* - Apart from the obvious, that being AL are still hard out in FOS** mode.

 

** - full of sh*t

 

EOM, MO ;)

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It seems imopssible to tell what was going on, but the way the cat was sailed made it look like a dog to me. the downwind legs epecially.

 

May have been the wind, or the boat, but the harsh driving with the up and down and hull and out was a stark contrast to the smooth flying by JS on the tri. Is that the helm, the boat or the conditions?

 

As I despise EB, I'm going to say it was him, but that is certainly my bias talking.

 

I hope this whole mess is sorted after the next race. And I hope EB never gets to compete in the cup again.

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Yep, I'd be going with the POH (prick on handlebars) theory as well. AFAIK, the correlation between having lots of money and being a brilliant helmsman remains unproven.

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Quote from the TVNZ website:

 

"Of course the job is only half done and it remains first to win two races. On the evidence of race one Alinghi's best hope is to try and sink BMWOR. For the Americans it will be a case of trying to ease the high-tech machine around the course and avoid breakages while staying in front."

 

LOL

 

Watching reruns of the start - can anyone answer a question for me?

 

While BMWO sat in irons, and AL whipped through the start and past them, was there not an opportunity missed there to gain a penalty back from BMWO?

 

Ms

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Watching reruns of the start - can anyone answer a question for me?

 

While BMWO sat in irons, and AL whipped through the start and past them, was there not an opportunity missed there to gain a penalty back from BMWO?

 

 

Can't answer, but I did think the same thing.

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I'm weak on match-racing rules but surely if one boat is literally in irons and effectively not in control, another boat can't gain a penalty because the basis of any penalty is that the boat at fault failed to take action to avoid the incident - but if they are not in control (i.e. statuionary) then how can they be pinged for failure to act? But maybe I'm wrong?

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From what I saw it appears the Tri had power to burn and even looked like it may have de-powered once or twice, knot that that is easy to see so that's purely me guts thinking. I do believe there were some games being played by one or both boats for some moments there. And I don't think the Tri was being pushed a full tit the entire time.

 

Probably true, once they realised they had the legs on Alinghi and were 1000ms in front then yes I'm sure they backed off and focused on not breaking anything but maintaining their lead. Which is why it's even more impressive that they continued to stretch their lead whilst probably in 'take it easy' mode. If Alinghi had been chasing them hard and close I'm guessing we could have seen at least another 1-2 kts squeezed from the tri?

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SOM :lol:

 

Saw a vid this morning of BB saying that they were just outclassed. The expression on his face was priceless.

 

Maybe that is what they mean by overpowered? BMWO overpowered them. :roll:

 

the link: http://tvnz.co.nz/sailing-news/oracle-s ... 3316/video go to 2 minutes - thats when BB says his bit.

 

EOM :wink:

 

Ms

 

Give BB credit at least he didn't try a bullshit answer - he just said when they sailed from behind and came around us and in frontthen that's speed and finess!

 

Which says it all I reckon.

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It seems imopssible to tell what was going on, but the way the cat was sailed made it look like a dog to me. the downwind legs epecially.

 

May have been the wind, or the boat, but the harsh driving with the up and down and hull and out was a stark contrast to the smooth flying by JS on the tri. Is that the helm, the boat or the conditions?

 

As I despise EB, I'm going to say it was him, but that is certainly my bias talking.

 

I hope this whole mess is sorted after the next race. And I hope EB never gets to compete in the cup again.

 

I agree I think we just saw the worst display ever by a helmsman in EB ?

Quite frankly I'm guessing he totally choked.

But when he did bear away, it did fly a hull, he just got stuck too high, too often, with a hull not flying.

 

I think its insulting to the event (when like him you think you are bigger than the AC), to not have the very best helmsman on the boat helm at all times.

They have Loick Peyron on board don't they?

And perhaps EB was as good as anyone in a straight line in practice, but JS made him look like a total goose at the pre start.

 

Hurry up EB, lose the cup, and do the sailing world a favour !

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With the attitude of EB's "at least I drive my own boat" crack at Larry I wonder when Larry'll come back with "my boy's faster than YOU - and that's what matters!"

 

Not well liked these days is our Ernie.

 

...and didn't Brad look a little shattered?

 

..... he knows......

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Hey Wolf answer the question :)

 

Can you have too much power in a multi and still knot fly a hull? I know you carry a spare hull more than AL but would know all the same I would think ;)

 

AL's too much power call a 'quite possible' or 'a big bag of bollix'?

 

I'm leaning heavily to the bollix side but also sail a leadswingger and as we get told often 'what would we weighted boats know' :lol: :lol:

 

If they were short on power (as I saw it) that would make it hard work even for the dick of a driver they had wouldn't it?

 

I must say I'm gobsmacked at the suggestion AL weighted 8000kg all up sitting on the startline. If correct that is incredibly impressive even more than both boats are seriously impressive already.

 

Add to that it was said BMWO headsail weights around 300kg so Al's would be similar. So take 1000kg off for sails, another 1000kg for motor and deck gear, guessing 1000kg for the mast probably more. Then you are left with the 90 x 90ft structure running around 4500kg with a strong possibly it's below 4000kg. Makes my 30ft 'lightweight sportboat' :? at 2500kg look like it's build of lead, even if 800kg odd of it actually is.

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Igot the impression that AL was underpowered. But more impotantly it seemed that Bmwo were able to tune their wing to just hold the main hull out of the water and then with much more subtle helm movements and more control of the wing meant they were able to keep heel angle more consistent. I don't think AL could trim fast enough for the wind changes which meant helm movements were more aggressive - heel angle changed alot more = more drag etc - meant 1-2kts faster up and 4kts faster down. IMHO - the ability to easily and quickly tune that wing up it's height means they are able to maintain more constant lift. I've also decided that the bmwo platform is much lighter than we really think which is part of the reason the old mast broke - the rig loads on a wing are less than a conventional soft sail and so the platform does not require the same strength

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far less luff and leech tension - results in lower mainsheet tension, mast compression etc. Forestay loads still need to be supported through running backstays but as we saw in R1 once there's enough puff they just roll away the jib!

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I'd go with your theory Scottie. AL did seem to be doing a lot more course wobbling than BMWO for sure. The Tri looked almost computer generated at times as it seemed to 'sit there' and knot do anything except go forward very fast. It was interesting to see just how much the speeds dropped when both weren't fully flying.

 

Actually I was very impressed at just how fast both boats could turn and tack. A lot faster than I was expecting, why I don't know but was.

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KM

 

Aloonie have been full of sh*t from the start and their call of having too much power is as you predicted totally full of more sh*t.

If anything, in comparison to BMWO they were underpowered !

 

Now you've lost it, EB, why don't you F off back to your cave !

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just read on the AC site that the 'prizegiving' - read 'EDL hands over greatest sporting trophy on the planet to he who royally spanked him' - is on at 2000hrs (0800here)

 

Press conference - read 'EDL avoiding questions about what it was like to be royally spanked' - 2100hrs

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