My loyalties are divided in this competition actually I'm pulling for the Kiwi's. Sure wish I could travel down to SF to see one of the races. It must look crazy seeing those giant catamarans zinging around the bay.
you just got honourable citizen status, oh wait, you had that already..
Love the way the boats groan like constipated hippos:
My loyalties are divided in this competition actually I'm pulling for the Kiwi's. Sure wish I could travel down to SF to see one of the races. It must look crazy seeing those giant catamarans zinging around the bay.
My loyalties are divided in this competition actually I'm pulling for the Kiwi's. Sure wish I could travel down to SF to see one of the races. It must look crazy seeing those giant catamarans zinging around the bay.
Oh my. After a pretty dull challengers series, the AC proper has started, here's a shortened report on the first two races. No. 1 is a cracker.
Thanks for the report. I'll check out the video of the first two races online. The LV Cup was pretty much a snoozer. I don't think Luna Rossa was first to A-mark or any other mark in any race.
Seems like the Kiwis are all over LR, but I'm going on shouty reportage from Sailing Anarchy.
But to be honest, I don't think you actually could sail these things tentatively, even if you wanted to - how about the bear away after the windward mark?
Maybe tentative isn't the right word. They still seem to be figuring out how to maneuver these things safely without risking a capsize. Finding the boundaries of the performance envelope, I guess.
It just seems like with the AC 45 boats, they knew just how hard they could push the tiller over, just how much aggressive maneuvering and sail trimming/setting they could get away with and still keep things under control. Just like you and I know just how long we can wait while shooting straight towards the committee boat in our Hobie 16 before we need to fall off and duck the stern with a couple of inches to spare.
Location: Still in the tunnel, looking for the light. Gender:
Posted:
Jul 31, 2013 - 4:54pm
aflanigan wrote:
Having watched a couple of the preliminary round robin matches in the Louis Vuitton Cup, I must say I've been underwhelmed by the sailing demonstrated so far. Not much drama. Maybe the New Zealand crew/boat is just that much better than Luna Rossa (Luna Rossa lost to Team New Zealand despite TNZ losing their jib about midway through one race).
It just seems like they are steering these boats awfully tentatively; maybe after more racing they will have a better feel of the limits of handling on them.
Seems like the Kiwis are all over LR, but I'm going on shouty reportage from Sailing Anarchy.
But to be honest, I don't think you actually could sail these things tentatively, even if you wanted to - how about the bear away after the windward mark?
Having watched a couple of the preliminary round robin matches in the Louis Vuitton Cup, I must say I've been underwhelmed by the sailing demonstrated so far. Not much drama. Maybe the New Zealand crew/boat is just that much better than Luna Rossa (Luna Rossa lost to Team New Zealand despite TNZ losing their jib about midway through one race).
It just seems like they are steering these boats awfully tentatively; maybe after more racing they will have a better feel of the limits of handling on them.
This is not really any different from Formula One. Sponsors spend ridiculous amounts of money for terrifyingly dangerous craft. The cars may be appropriately-sized, but certainly not appropriately powered! Sure, they are loaded with safety gear, but the whole sport is still fundamentally insane. Even as the regulations get tighter, engines get smaller, aerodynamics are limited, blah blah blah, the cars get faster year after year. And year after year, a few competitors die during training or competition. And more rules are enacted, more safety features are added, and the cars still get faster, and people still sometimes die.
It's always a tragedy, in any sport, when someone is hurt or killed. Unfortunately it's the nature of competition.
Not to disagree with what you've said here, but this level of danger at America's Cup happened virtually overnight. These machines did not evolve over time, getting faster and faster each year. I think it's fair to say that no one really knows how dangerous these new boats might be.
This is why we suddenly see several recommendations related to safety because of one event. Prior to this they could only speculate on the danger. That's likely still the case.
It is supposed to be cutting edge, but it's supposed to be cutting edge with regard to technology, not stupidity and stubbornness.
All of the gee whiz stuff on display in the 72 foot boats was on display in the 45 footers. What's the point of these oversized, unwieldy craft? To exclude entrants who only have 5-10 million to spend?
If they went with an appropriately sized and powered boat like the AC 45 design, they wouldn't need this band-aid approach to safety, limiting competition to sailing to 20 knots of wind(!!!)
This is not really any different from Formula One. Sponsors spend ridiculous amounts of money for terrifyingly dangerous craft. The cars may be appropriately-sized, but certainly not appropriately powered! Sure, they are loaded with safety gear, but the whole sport is still fundamentally insane. Even as the regulations get tighter, engines get smaller, aerodynamics are limited, blah blah blah, the cars get faster year after year. And year after year, a few competitors die during training or competition. And more rules are enacted, more safety features are added, and the cars still get faster, and people still sometimes die.
It's always a tragedy, in any sport, when someone is hurt or killed. Unfortunately it's the nature of competition.
Saw races 1 & 2 on a real telly, not just on a laptop. Bloody brilliant - awesome sailing by the Kiwis. 
actually I'm pulling for the Kiwi's. Sure wish I could travel down to SF to see one of the races. It must look crazy seeing those giant catamarans zinging around the bay.
