The 36th America’s Cup Match will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, from the 6th to the 21st of March 2021 and will see the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand racing against the winner of the Prada Cup, the Challenger Selection Series, with the winner being the first team to score seven points. Race course available here How to watch here Full info here Although the actual race is not until next year the action has already started and interest mounting A host of people can't stand this stuff, but I'm really looking forward to it all. It's Emirates Team New Zealand, not Oracle.
Oh my gosh. It's anyone's guess as to who's got the design right. They're all so different. This clip was posted yesterday.
Some money spent on the design of these boats Cyc, just to get that edge, just like they do at the top end of any sport really. They really are a wonder of the world how quick and agile these big streamline boats can move, amazing really...
I don't know anything about this stuff, but a lot of the pundits on the comments section, are a bit worried about Britannia's chances. They're saying she's riding a bit too low and of the boats unveiled so far, she's the one who's had the biggest make over. They're talking about a slow transition onto the foils. Worrying signs maybe? Still no sign of the second NZ yacht though.
Crikey, there could have been a disaster out there today. . American Magic highballs it between a dinghy and what appears to be a motor launch on the other side. Considering the speeds at which these things travel, was this a bit on the reckless side? please log in to view this image
There's been a lot chat about Luna Rossa being the challenger to beat, but yesterday the US sent Patriot out for a bit of a sprint. And she opened some eyes. From what I gather, Patriot is the only challenger with a bow down inclination and folk are beginning to think it's a smart design. In the clip below, they cranked her up at 20 seconds into the clip, and dropped her down at the 52 second mark. She quickly out stripped her chase boats, and they haul arse.
All wind. But all power to the foils and sails is generated by human effort on grinders which produce the electricity for the bank of batteries in each boat to drive the hydraulics. Some use arm grinders, but the Kiwis introduced men seated on stationary cycles. It made a huge difference. But I'm not up to speed on these new AC75s to know if it'll be arm or leg power this time around. From the 2017 America's Cup.
And as these guys are all in uncharted territory, anything can go wrong. Computer simulations say that an AC 75 might be capable of around 90kph, so imagine what could happen if the accidents in this article happened at those speeds. https://www.sail-world.com/news/231409/Americas-Cup-AC75-sails-away-from-big-nosedive
Things are start to hot up of Auckland. I have next to no idea about sailing so have been doing a bit of a crash course. Until a week back, I'd never heard of a sail called the Code Zero, it something that's been used in the past, but is only now beginning to surface in NZ. I'd been wondering why these boats were designed with bowsprits if they were not being used. Well now I know, they're for the giant sail called the Code Zero. Luna Rossa has has theirs out for a little while now as can be seen early in the film. And now the UK entrant Britannia has used hers. At about 3 minutes into the clip, she closes in on American Magic who's not using her Code Zero. It's interesting how American Magic seems to be more "nose down" than Britannia. But maybe that's to do with the use of the Code Zero by the UK boat. Who knows?
The amazing world of science and technology... Huge jumbo jets taking off, or any aeroplane for that matter, and boats that can turn on a 6-pence, sat 6 inch out of the water, just propelled by wind power... For all the crazy sh1te going on in the world, there is still enough going on to create a wonder of amazement and awe...!!
Well, I don't know what the hell's going on. When Britannia was unveiled, most of the pundits thought the Brits had pretty much crapped in their own nest. Although the Brits loved their boat, those outside the tent thought the yacht a bit on the fugly side. Everyone started gushing over Team America's lovely lines and of course the Italian bottom. Italians love a nice bottom. But the big question centered around the still well hidden NZ beastie. She was the one they all feared.... what what she look like? Even though yet unseen, she was thought to to be the benchmark by which all would be measured. Well, on her release yesterday, a great deal of gob smacking took place. NZ 2 looked for all the world like Britannia's misbegotten cousin. Now in the eyes of the commentators, we've ended up with two streamlined beauties and a couple of tarted up, but athletic looking scrubbers. Britannia has a wide arse that inspired jokes about fornication, and the NZ yacht has high sided hips that would be best suited for carrying a screaming child, or maybe a bag of spuds. And the pundits? They've got no idea. That the Kiwi's have ruled the roost in foil racing, they were thought to hold all the cred. So if their yacht seems to have gone down the same design path as the much ridiculed Britannia, the thinking is that maybe the Poms are onto something ..... or both have blown it big time. And now the Americans are beginning to look a bit too smug. Maybe Patriot is the one to watch. And eyes will be on Te Rehutai, the Māori word for sea spray, as they begin to work her up in those waters off Auckland.
With so much ducking and diving between the 4 teams, it will be really interesting to see how they fare against each other in the Christmas Races, sailed from the 17th to the 20th of December in Auckland. The Defender, Te Rehutai. I wonder if Kiwi fans are worried about her high freeboard towards the stern? She certainly looks a beast though. I love the way they gracefully lift out of the water. From what I gather, there's a lot of work going into just how far the yachts need to be out of the water. Close to the water, for well clear of it. It's all aerodynamics. At the 9:40 mark, there is some nice vision of her thrashing through the rain in rougher conditions.
Ok, it looks like we have at least two design paths. One taken by the Defender Te Rehutai and Britannia, with Patriot and Luna Rossa off in another direction. The one that seems to be the dark horse though is Patriot. When it comes to the tech stuff, the Americans are always in it up their arm pits. The Brits have butchered boat 1 quite a bit though. This is B2. P.S. She's known as Rita. Britannia.
If NZ has taken the right approach, them maybe the Brits have too. An interesting clash between the two sides of the design coin. NZ and Brits v USA and Italy.