Cup Experience

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Testing foils in AC72 designs

 

Foils continue to get a lot of attention, with both Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) and Oracle Racing Team USA (OTUSA) both showing new daggerboards.
The S-shaped foils we saw on Emirates Team New Zealand’s first AC72 are gone, replaced by two new shapes.

AC72 design - foils - daggerboards - rudders AC72 design – foils – daggerboards – rudders ETNZ’s first AC72 had S-shaped daggerboards.

Their second AC72 does not have the S-shaped daggerboards – there is a curved, C-shaped board in the port hull and an almost straight board in the starboard hull. Having different shapes on each side allows them to test both shapes at the same time. Remember that the teams are allowed to build two boats and up to 10 daggerboards.

AC72 design of foils AC72 design of foils Testing different shape daggerboards on starboard and port.

We can see that Oracle is also testing different shapes – straight on starboard and slightly curved on port. Notice how the winglets are attached on each side – a sharp angle on starboard and a smooth curve on port.

AC72 design of foils for America's Cup in 2013 AC72 design of foils for America’s Cup in 2013 Repaired and modified, USA 17 ready for launching.

 

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Maserati crew repairs mast north of equator

 

Maserati-Gold-Rush-Route-2013

No, this is not America’s Cup news, but it is a cool story.  Giovanni Soldini and the crew of Maserati are north of the equator, 2,200 nautical miles from San Francisco.  They are 2,400 nm ahead of the monohull record pace. Yves Parlier set the monohull record in 1998.
The clipper ship Flying Cloud held the record from 1851 until 1989 – 138 years! Flying Cloud had two dismastings while setting the record in 1851, and the crew did the repairs while underway.

The Maserati crew have also had to do mast repairs – a batten car punched a hole in their mast! Here is a cool video of the repair:  (El buco nell’albero = the hole in the mast).