October 24, 2014 By Jack Griffin

2017 America’s Cup Venue – Dueling Videos

san-diego-proposed-race-course — SAN DIEGO’S PROPOSED RACE COURSE. LEGS 1.7 NAUTICAL MILES LONG.

bermuda-proposed-race-course — BERMUDA’S PROPOSED RACE COURSE. LEGS 2 NAUTICAL MILES LONG.

Will Bermuda or San Diego host the 35th America’s Cup in 2017?

San Diego’s Uniified Port District just released a promotional video showing the planned race course and extolling San Diego’s virtues. Bermuda has two America’s Cup Teams – Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa – racing right now (22-26 October 2014) for the World Match Race Tour Argo Gold Cup. Luna Rossa and Francesco Bruni beat Ben Ainslie in the final of last year’s Bermuda event.

Both locations are working hard to promote themselves and tip the scales in their favor, hoping to host the America’s Cup Match in 2017. The Protocol calls for Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller to announce the venue by the end of the year.

Bermuda World Match Race Tour Video

Bermuda Aerial Drone Footage

San Diego’s America’s Cup Video

October 24, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Ben Ainslie Racing Sails Foiling AC45

ben-ainslie-racing-launched-their-foiling-AC45-compressed — AMERICA’S CUP CHALLENGER BEN AINSLIE RACING LAUNCHED THEIR FOILING AC45 ON 22 OCTOBER 2014. LLOYD IMAGES

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR), British challenger for the 2017 America’s Cup, has launched their foiling AC45. The boat represents six months of work by the design team and three months of build time. The team will use this boat to test design ideas for their AC62, but will not be raced in the America’s Cup World Series, since this boat no longer conforms to the AC45 Class Rule. BAR will buy a new AC45 for racing in the ACWS.

BAR, Luna Rossa, Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA have all converted AC45’s to foiling “development” boats. You can read more about “development” AC45’s and “racing” AC45’s and see photos here.

BAR’s video – first day sailing their foiling AC45, which they call “T1” – Training Boat 1

At about 30 seconds into the video you’ll see the boat being craned into the water. The rudders have a high aspect ratio – long and narrow. You can’t see the stabilizers (wings), but they are there. What other details do you notice in the video and the photos?

curved daggerboards with curved wings
wind instruments on the bowsprit, but no furler for a gennaker
no forward kingpost under the tack of the jib, no “bobstay” to forward end of bowsprit
no special controls for camber or twist adjustment (watch the video closely at 1:16)
modified rudder mount to allow changing angle of incidence of rudder

Notice the crew pulling the standard AC45 camber adjustment at 1:16 into the video. If you watch closely, you can see that trimming this line reduces camber (easing the line increases camber).

ben-ainslie-at-the-helm-of-BAR-foiling-AC45-compressed — BEN AINSLIE AT THE HELM OF BAR’S FOILING AC45. LLOYD IMAGES

BAR-foiling-past-the-royal-yacht-squadron-compressed — BAR FOILING PAST THE ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON ON DAY 1 WITH THEIR FOILING AC45. LLOYD IMAGES

modified-rudder-mount-compressed — MODIFIED RUDDER MOUNT TO ALLOW CHANGING THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF THE RUDDERS. LLOYD IMAGES

October 23, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Team France Reacts to Airbus Partnering with Oracle Team USA

airbus-ceo-fabrice-brégier — AIRBUS CEO FABRICE BRÉGIER IN HIS OTUSA JACKET AT THE NYC PRESS CONFERENCE

In July, French sailor and “Voiles et Voiliers” blogger Loïc LeBras reported that Franck Cammas’s America’s Cup challenger, Team France, was in advanced negotiations with with a major European aerospace company. Although I and many others assumed it was Airbus, apparently it was another company, since four months later, the French-headquartered aerospace company announced that they have partnered with Oracle Team USA.

Team France issued this statement:

“The partnership between Oracle Team USA and Airbus shows how French skills and know-how in composites and more generally in high technology are at the forefront. This only reinforces our belief in the ability of a French team to win at last the most important sailing event in the world.”

A strong French challenger would bring much excitement to the 35th America’s Cup. Let’s hope that Team France finds the sponsors they need!

October 23, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Airbus in America’s Cup with Oracle Team USA

airbus-ceo-fabrice-receives-a-team-jacket — AIRBUS CEO FABRICE RECEIVES A TEAM JACKET FROM OTUSA SKIPPER JIMMY SPITHILL AT NYC PRESS EVENT.

Oracle Team USA and Airbus have announced a technology partnership for the 35th America’s Cup. Team France reacted gracefully to what must have been a disappointment to them.

As Official Innovation Partner of ORACLE TEAM USA for the 35th America’s Cup, AIRBUS will share the know-how of its engineers and experts in fields such as aerodynamics, instrumentation and simulation, composites, structures, hydraulics and data analysis to work with the ORACLE TEAM USA design team.

Watch the video of the announcement:

October 22, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Tow Testing BAR Foiling AC45

BAR-tow-tests-their-foiling-AC45 — BAR TOW TESTS THEIR FOILING AC45 CATAMARAN. NOTE THE SHORTER BOWSPRIT AND THE “UPTIP” FOILS.

Ben Ainslie Racing has launched their foiling AC45, tow testing it for the first time on Saturday, 18 October. This modified AC45 will be used to test design ideas for their race boat for the 2017 America’s Cup.

The Protocol for the 35th America’s Cup allows the teams to test anything they want using boats with the same lower hull shape as an AC45. A modified AC45 cannot be used for racing in the America’s Cup World Series, so BAR will buy a new “class legal” AC45 for that racing. The America’s Cup teams have agreed to change the AC45 Class Rule to enable foiling, but it is not yet known whether these changes will be implemented for the one design AC45’s that will race in the 2015 ACWS races, or whether the changes will only be made in 2016.

Current plans call for racing 62 foot long AC62 catamarans in the America’s Cup, but the competitors have been discussing the possibility of moving to smaller boats.