We’re getting some exciting video from fans with
their “amcams” and from the teams. Here is Luna Rossa, working on maneuvers. In all the videos in this article, you’ll see why the discussion about foiling concerns the “transitions” even
more than straight line speed.
Luna Rossa video
From Andrew Wisner’s YouTube channel:.
Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand had a
“brush”
In this video posted on Friday. ETNZ fans will be happy to see their
team in front and looking pretty smooth with well choreographed crew work in
the maneuvers. OTUSA fans will like seeing the speed USA 17 can generate.
Lots of details in a short video. Let me show you…
Next we’ll look at a recent video from Oracle Team USA,
posted on Friday 24 May 2013. It’s
only a couple of minutes long, but, if you look closely, you’ll see a lot of
interesting details, including some focused on crew safety. You’ll hear Tom
Slingsby talk about how they are experimenting with choreography during gybes.
Now let me show you what to look for:
At about 10 seconds into the video, you’ll see the bright orange patches
and sleeves on the crew that make them more visible, if somewhat less
aerodynamic for now. It also looks like they are wearing climbing harnesses –
maybe the harnesses combine with the self-lowering equipment mentioned in the
safety recommendations.
At about 39 seconds into the video, you can also
see that the soft fairing on the aft crossbeam is now covered with transparent
film – another of the safety recommendations. This angle gives you a good
appreciation of the slippery aerodynamic shape of USA 17 – there are no
diagonal cables or struts underneath.
In the photo above you see the crew all lined up in
the port hull. The next photo, at about 13 seconds into the video shows them
facing fore and aft and low in the cockpits to reduce drag. OTUSA has taken great pains to reduce windage.
Gybing!
Now, let’s look at crew work during a gybe. In the
photo above, helmsman Jimmy Spithill is in his usual place, but below, at about
1 minute into the video, you can see Tom Slingsby has taken the wheel while
Spithill and wing trimmer Dirk De Ridder start crossing to the other side. Tactician John Kostecki is furthest to
the right, in the cockpit behind the wheel. Watch him in the video – you’ll see
him move forward to handle wing trim during the gybe, at about 1:08.
Here is another gybe, with a slightly different
choreography – Slingsby helms while Spithill crosses over to take the wheel and
Dirk De Ridder trims the wing.
Preparing for a gybe also includes lowering the
daggerboard on the windard side, which will become the new leeward side. In the
next two photos, Spithill has crossed sides while Slingsby helms. Watch the
video at about 1:11 to see the daggerboard dropping.
Now that you know what to look for, here’s the video