Many America's Cup fans say this is their best source of information.
One day after Team Japan released their foiling tack video, Oracle followed suit, saying that they, too, had done a foiling tack in April, a few days after Team Japan. They claim that they have now done foiling tacks in “full manual mode” – with their electric pumps switched off. Click the image or here to watch Oracle’s video.
Back in April, SoftBank Team Japan pulled off their first foiling tack in their AC45X test boat. Last week they released a video and a news article. A day later, Oracle Team USA reported that they, too have done foiling tacks, including in complete “manual mode” meaning without electric motors pumping hydraulic oil to operate the daggerboards. Here are the videos and a detailed look at Team Japan’s choreography. To describe the action, we’ll number the crew positions 1 to 6, starting in the bow.
At 12 seconds into the video, we hear helmsman Dean Barker call, “Standing by” to start the manoeuvre. Wing trimmer Chris Draper hands Barker the wing trim line and crosses to the port hull to set up the wing trim line on that side and to steer while Barker crosses over later. The number 1 man crosses with Draper.
At 19 seconds into the video, the number 3 man leaves his cockpit to tack the wing using an inverter line. He then crosses to the port hull. Remember that in 2013, Team New Zealand almost capsized their AC72 in Race 8 when their hydraulically controlled wing did not tack. Oracle had an inverter line to tack their AC72 wing manually, and their AC Class design, used by Team Japan, also has a manual inverter line for the wing.
As they complete the tack, Barker crosses over after the number 4 man. While Barker crosses, Draper is steering from the wing trimmer position, and trimming the wing. At the end of the manoeuvre, the number 2 man is still in his cockpit in the starboard hull.
When you play the video, listen to the high pitched whine of the electric pumps for the hydraulics.The louder, groaning sound is the wing trim line as the trimmer lets it slip on the winch drum. The AC Class boats that will race next year must only use manual power – no electric pumps permitted.
Click here or any of the photos to watch the Team Japan video.
America’s Cup World Series racing resumes in just over two weeks on 10-11 September in Toulon, France. With just this regatta and the one in Fukuoka, Japan in November, all the teams will be fighting for every point. The top two teams carry bonus points into the round robin Qualifiers – the match racing that begins in May 2017. And every team has something at stake: the AC World Series results will be used to break ties at the end of the Qualifiers. If two challengers finish the Qualifiers tied for fourth, their AC World Series results will determine which one is eliminated.
We had thought that all the teams would be back at full strength after the Olympics, but that may not be the case… Reports out of Bermuda say that Oracle’s skipper Jimmy Spithill has re-injured his recently operated elbow and has returned to California for more surgery. Backup helm Tom Slingsby recently had back surgery, so the Oracle lineup for Toulon may have a different look than what we expected.
Every America’s Cup sailor in Rio went home with a gold or silver medal!
Last week I reported that Giles Scott of Land Rover BAR – had already clinched the gold medal in the Finn class, before the medal race.
In the 49er, Kiwis Peter Burling and Blair Tuke clinched gold with two(!) races to spare. Artemis Racing’s Australians Nathan Outteridge andIain Jensen took silver. The Kiwis and the Aussies now each have one gold and one silver in the 49er – the order was reversed in 2012 in London.
In the Nacra 17 mixed multihull, SoftBank Team Japan’s Jason Waterhouse
of Australia took the silver medal with his cousin Lisa Darmanin as crew. Argentinian Santiago Lange, age 54, took the gold with his crew Cecilia Carranza Saroli. Lange helmed one of Artemis Racing’s AC45’s during the 2011-13 America’s Cup World Series.
Gemma Jones helmed New Zealand’s Nacra 17 to a win in the medal race with crew Jason Saunders. They finished fourth overall. Gemma is the daughter of America’s Cup Hall of Famer Murray Jones.
Australian Olympic multi-hull sailor Jason Waterhouse will join SoftBank Team Japan after the 2016 games in Rio. He is currently the number three ranked sailor in the Nacra 17, the mixed multihull Olympic class. Waterhouse has sailed with Team Japan their AC45X test boat in Bermuda. He also has AC45 race experience, having been on the Australian team in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013.
We have plenty of reasons to follow the Olympic sailing this summer – Jason Waterhouse and his crew Lisa Darmanin are obviously favorites to medal in the Nacra 17 catamaran. Fellow Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Artemis Racing will be battling to defend their 2012 gold medal in the 49er skiff against the current world champion Kiwis Peter Burling and Blair Tuke of Emirates Team New Zealand. In the Finn dinghy, Giles Scott of Land Rover BAR is the favorite for gold.
Olympic Sailing Schedule
Full schedule available on the World Sailing site here.