Cup Experience

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Oracle’s Test Boat Evolution

Oracle Team USA launched their first test boat over a year ago in San Francisco. The first test boat had only one pedestal per hull since it was designed when the AC62 Class Rule was still in effect. Remember that the AC62 was to have had eight crew with three pedestals per hull.

OraclesTestBoatEvolution

When Oracle arrived in Bermuda in May 2015, the test boat still had only one pedestal. The wing trimmer was in a separate cockpit and the pushbutton control panels were on the inboard side of the cockpits, as shown in the photo below. Remember that these test boats will never race, do not need to meet any measurement rule and have no restrictions on batteries or other stored energy to operate the hydraulic pumps.

OracleTeamUSA

By late Fall 2015, Oracle had launched their second test boat and modified the first one. They added a second pedestal and reconfigured the cockpits. They also moved the pushbutton controls to the outboard edge of the cockpit. Two other details to note are the new wing winch design by Harken and a hydraulic ram for daggerboard cant, external to the hull. More on this below.

OracleTeamUSAAC45X

 

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Oracle Capsizes Test Boat in Bermuda

No injuries, minor damage, quick recovery
Look at these photos, then watch the video at the end of this article – the photos will help you better understand the capsize and recovery.

15/02/16 - Hamilton (BDA) - 35th America's Cup Bermuda 2017 - ORACLE TEAM USA - AC45S training

Wednesday 2 March 2016 – I was in Bermuda and had just sat down with Grant Simmer at the Oracle base for an interview. We had barely exchanged pleasnatries when Grant’s phone rang. He answered, stood and walked away. End of interview. Oracle’s test boat had just capsized south of Morgan’s Point, in view of the Artemis Racing base. They had just changed crew and Tom Slingsby took over from Jimmy Spithill. Part way through a full foiling gybe, as Slingsby was crossing to take the wheel from Rome Kirby, the boat blew over sideways, slowly. This was not a more violent pitchpole.

RomeKirby

Rome Kirby had climbed to the high side of the hull from the aft cockpit. “TJ” – wing trimmer Tom Johnson ducked down in his cockpit and held on. In the photo below, you can see TJ’s helmet just forward of the wheel, and Rome’s helmet just aft.

ArtemisRacing1

To right their capsized AC45 in Gothenburg, Artemis Racing used a technique suggested by Loïck Peyron, and Oracle used the same technique here. Instead of pulling the boat up sideways, the chase boat tows it forward on its side. the crew trims the wing down, towards the hull that is in the water. The wing then flies the boat upright, just like an airplane taking off. In the photo below notice the wake behind the boat and the wing in a “flaps down” position, like an airplane ready for takeoff.

AC45

Now watch the video and listen to Tom Slingsby explain what happened and how he reacted.

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Emirates Team New Zealand 3rd in Oman, 1st in Series

ETNZ had two wins, one last place and one next-to-last place finish in Oman. They were on the podium, as they have been at every ACWS. Their lead in the ACWS overall is down to six points, but they still top the leaderboard. Click the table below to see the details of how each team did in each ACWS event.

EmiratesTeamNewZealand

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Artemis Racing’s string of bad luck continued

Artemis snagged the anchor line for the mark at Gate 3, dropping them to last place in the race and last place in the regatta. At the first ACWS in Portsmouth a halyard lock failed, dropping their Code 0 sail in the water. At Gothenburg they capsized in practice and ran aground, damaging their daggerboard. In Bermuda an umpire boat crashed into them, breaking off their bowsprit. At least in Bermuda they won the regatta.

ArtemisRacing

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Groupama Team France denies Oracle the win

28/02/16 - Muscat (OMN) - 35th America's Cup Bermuda 2017 - Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Oman - Racing Day 2 - Racing Day 2

Watch the video of incidents between Oracle and Team France at the windward gate in Races 4 and 6 in Oman. In each case they lost one place.

Oracle Team USA finished two points behind Land Rover BAR. Did this incident at the windward mark in Race 4 cost them the regatta? If they had come in fourth instead of fifth in Race 4, they would have had equal points to BAR and would have won on the count back.

In Race 6 Team France passed Oracle to take the lead at Gate 3. France went on to win – their first race win in the ACWS.