Cup Experience

Many America's Cup fans say this is their best source of information.

By

Understanding Sailboat Racing will help you enjoy the America’s Cup

Here’s a good series of articles that will help you understand sailboat racing, from a racing sailor’s point of view.

Never sailed before?

 This will give you a good feel for how winning sailors race.

Experienced racing sailor?

 You’ll be reminded of some important basics that will improve your finishes.

Sailing World published a good series of article on sailboat racing basics.  Read the complete series

here

.

AUGUST 23, 2012

Around the Racecourse

Steve Hunt’s nine-part series gives you all of the essentials to sail smart and fast around the racecourse.

By Steve Hunt

Related Tags:

Experts

 |

Instructional

 |

Fundamentals

 |

Buoy Racing

 |

College

 |

High School Sailing

 |

One-Design

 |

Women’s Sailing

 |

Youth Sailing

Sailing World

© Rolex/daniel Forster

Gain at the Gate

Enlarge Photo

1. Start Before the Start: Top sailors know that time well spent before the day’s first start will go a long way toward good finishes. Here’s an easy-to-follow formula to ensure you’re up to speed and ready to race.

2. Plan to Plan: Steve Hunt applies what he learns during his pre-start workup, and makes a case for the importance of having a good plan—or at least having a plan.

3. Starting Made Simple: With the prestart work done and a gameplan in hand, Steve Hunt simplifies the starting game in his third installment of Around the Racecourse.

4. Take a Low-Risk Beat: In his fourth installment, Steve Hunt gives us the guide to a conservative first leg.

5. Clean Roundings, Every Time: After sailing a smart beat, it’s time to get around the weather markwithout any drama.

6. A Low-Risk Run: In the sixth installment of his Around the Racecourse series, Steve Hunt helps us keep the downwind leg simple.

7. Gain at the Gate: A crowded leeward-gate rounding is a perfect opportunity to pass boats, and more often than not, the best solution is the path of least resistance.

8. Closing Strong: In the eighth installment of his Around the Racecourse series, Steve Hunt keeps us pointed towards the finish line.

9. Ready for the Next: What you do immediately after a race can sometimes be just as important as what you did before the race.

Sailing Around the Racecourse: Basic Sailboat Racing Tips by Steve Hunt | Sailing World.

 

By

AC72 Design – Ergonomics

High loads, lots of maneuvers and few grinders on an AC72 catamaran

Easy to overlook, but crucial:  the ergonomics of an AC72.  Short, tight courses = lots of maneuvers.  How do you supply the power to hoist, furl and trim sails and raise and lower daggerboards?

Rod Davis of Emirates Team New Zealand threw out some ideas in the April 2012 Seahorse magazine.  You’ll find it here, in our AC72 Design discussion series of articles.

640w-OR17-grinders-1 640w-OR17-grinders-1

Grinders highlighted in yellow on Oracle Racing’s AC72.

 

By

Design me an AC72: Ergonomics

 

640w-OR17-grinders-1 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.

 

By

Race Schedule – Oct 2-7, 2012 – San Francisco

 

RACING SCHEDULE

Sept 8, 2012  This may still change…   I’ll update it if does.  -Jack

Follow the practice sailing with the CupExperience LiveLine race tracker.

Tuesday October 2 – Free Practice Sailing

Wednesday October 3 – Qualifying – 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Thursday October 4 – Championship Racing 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Conflicts with Blue Angels practice scheduled at 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Perhaps the Fleet Week schedule is wrong and the Blue Angels practice will be 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Or, maybe the ACWS schedule will change.
Or maybe it will be pretty noisy during the racing…  🙂  

Friday October 5 – Championship Racing 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Saturday October 6 – Championship Racing 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Sunday October 7 – Super Sunday Racing 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm

*Schedule is subject to change.

640w-AC45-fleet-GGB 640w-AC45-fleet-GGB

America’s Cup World Series racing in San Francisco, Aug, 2012. More racing: Oct 4-7, 2012.