640w-OR17-grinders-1
Thanks to Seahorse Magazine for this excerpt from “Clear the Bench” in the April 2012 issue. Get the CupExperience discount for your subscription or renewal. Visit the CupExperience guide to AC72 Design.Grinders highlighted in yellow on Oracle Racing’s AC72.
OK, more decisions. The crew is made up of 11 people. There will be a minimum of five who just turn handles. Kind of a shame we did not stick to the powered winches of the last Cup. Handle turners (grinders) will hoist the sails, sheet sails and wings, run the hydraulics and lift the boards up and down. If the 45s are any indication, they are going to get hammered.
How many pedestals, or grinding stations, do we need? Two grinders per pedestal so we could run with three? But then you would only have a maximum of six to do the really big manoeuvres. The other five could only yell ‘encouragement’ when the sail is trimmed in too slowly. Adding weight, any weight, is real bad. Light is always fast, nowhere more so than in a cat. So this is going to be a problem.
Other factors to throw into the mix: do we need a full set of pedestals on both sides of the boat, as in both hulls? Or can we cross-link them and have half as many? If you go four in each hull, we end up with eight in total! Not a light solution. But we do get all the crew on the windward side and that is good for righting moment. But then you have to cross-sheet all the sails, big gear highly loaded… that has its challenges too.
While we are at it, what about bicycle power for the hydraulics. I can picture Lance Armstrong* pedalling away from the time he gets onboard until he gets off, while the trimmers can open and close valves that allow the oil to be injected into the cylinders that control the boat’s wing. Damn sight easier than the Tour de France, I am sure. So many factors and complications, let’s go to the default answer: keep it simple. Three pedestals on each side plus a bike for Lance*. He is small so he can pedal away in the middle. In fact, if we have his bike drive the hydraulics from inside the bottom of the wing there is a zero windage hit! You’re right, not the real answer but anything else is just too pedestrian.
*Well, maybe someone else.
Any questions? Any comments? Add them below!
See more about ergonomics in AC72 designs here.