America's Cup

[kokko]

I was reading Sailing Anarchy and had an epiphany: I could win the America's Cup in Truelove.

I have followed the news and have tried, and failed, to connect with this race. Multi-million dollar boats, gazillionaire owners, professional crews, fixed foils, and endless litigation make it unrecognizable to sailors. All this, and the boats cannot sail when the seas are above 2 feet and the winds above 20 kt.

Truelove can sail. I can race her when these boats hide away in the marina. Truelove and I can win this race.

[Alan]

I read every word I could find on the America's cup back in the Bus Mosbacher era, when the competitors looked like sailboats. The modern boats look like Klingon warships, and it's a little hard to get excited about the product branding - whether the Oracle boat beat the Metamucil boat yesterday is somehow not of great import.

[navahoIII]

True that, Alan! End of an era, I'm afraid. (wonder if the same sentiment wasn't felt when the 12 meter boats replaced the J-class boats of the '30s)

I was with my family in Venice last year and there was one of those America's Cup events (not sure what the point of it was) holding, what were, I guess, prelim races for the Cup (?) There were maybe a half dozen 'boats' involved, and it was to me something just short of stomach-turning to see them and think -- 'THIS is the America's Cup?!' On top of that they were in the waters of perhaps the world's most beautiful city. What an unthinkable contrast!!

Am I alone or do those 'boats' (I use the term lightly) look more like something from the insect world?? If that's sailing efficiency at its best, they can have it! While they're at it perhaps they'd like a 'crew' of robots to go with them...

[kokko]

In many ways I think the AC does discredit to the sport we all know and love. Sailing is considered "elitist" and the AC confims that belief - that the boats are complex, expensive, and only the wealthy can participate.
My own experience contradicts this. If there are wealthy folks among the sailors at my marina, I don't know who they are, and I have kept my Catalina there for 18 years. Likewise, I spent $12k on my used Catalina and $900 on my DS. Much cheaper than the pontoon boats, ski boats and bass boats at the marina. The 75 hp engine of my inlaws pontoon is worth both of my boats.

[jeadstx]

I continue to follow America's Cup, but I do miss the 12-meter boats. I do find the new boats interesting, but they do lack the classic lines. I remember many years ago while on vacation in Wisconsin. I was passing thru Sturgeon Bay heading into the upper part of Door County and I saw what looked like a 12-meter yacht tied to a dock. I found a way down to the dock and sure enough it was the America's Cup boat Heritage. It was impresive to see close up.

John

[Breakin Wind]

I read every word I could find on the America's cup back in the Bus Mosbacher era, when the competitors looked like sailboats. The modern boats look like Klingon warships, and it's a little hard to get excited about the product branding - whether the Oracle boat beat the Metamucil boat yesterday is somehow not of great import.

+1 on who cares... I work for Oracle and it wouldn't bother me a bit if Larry spent a bit less on starships and a bit more on employees... but that's just me. Every now and then he'll send a "personal" email out to the whole company inviting us to be happy about the Oracle boat.

Hopefully he's not doing the Undercover CEO thing on this board. However if he was... I'd probably say the same thing.

Thanks - eh... er.... ralph schemlzer... working out of the San Fransciso office.

[jdoorly]

Geeez, and here I was thinking how glad I am they dropped that stodgy, 100 year old, we're not learning anything new here 12 meter rule! Just wait till some of these new racing gismos trickle down to West Marine. I'm sure in a couple years we will all be wearing those downhill helmets with heads-up display, and our PFD's will have 2 minute air supplies built in. Not to mention sheets that float (i mean in air!).

[navahoIII]

I don't know about that. Randy is progressive but he appears to be more traditional when it comes to sailing, although, I must admit, the boat he had built, a yawl with two wishbone booms, no staysails and a topside profile more cabin cruiser than sailboat is a departure from that. Although, he told me that she sails beautifully, is simple to handle and is very comfortable for the long voyages he and his wife take in various parts of the world.

But, yes, he is a business man and those new "gizmos" will undoubtedly find their way to the shelves of West Marine.

[rnlivingston]

One of the problems we face as an organization, is continuing to bring young people into the sailing program. I see this particularly at the local sailing club I belong to. Generating excitement about sailing has been difficult. Sally and I have been out on Narragansett Bay watching the old 12 meter boats race. Even at the weather mark in high winds, it gets a little boring after awhile. Coverage of races like the America Cup have been almost no existent. But this year with the AC45's racing on tight courses, you got to see high performance sailboats racing up close and personal. I saw them in Newport and it was the best sailboat racing I ever saw. Watching the AC72's racing on San Francisco Bay on television was even more exciting and I thought the boats were beautiful flying across the water like birds.

Yes...America Cup racing is a rich mans sport, but it always has been. But the technology that comes out of it helps us all. We are starting to see more monohulls cable of speeds faster than the wind. Boats are safer and easier to rig and handle.

[kokko]

While there has been trickle down in technology thanks to the Cup, I no longer think that is the case with this A/C. In the past, we have seen fiberglass composites, now carbon fiber composites, low stretch lines, first Dacron sails, now Kevlar sails, and wing keels all ok. GPS is great, but that came out of the military. I don't see the A/Cs of the past 20 years offering the average sailor anything. Canting keels? Fixed wings? Fine for high end racing, but it won't trickle down and I would want it.
For all the money the spend, they have built boats that cannot go out in >20 knots of wind or >2' of seas.

More than anything coming out of the A/C or other high end racing, the sailing industry has been driven by creature comforts. New boats have the bleack bottle design that blow out the cabin so you can take your living room out on the water. Compare the boats of the 70's-90's with those now offered today. The sailing capabilities of today's boats have been compromised by creature comforts. Practical Sailor had an article about this. TOdays boats have a much wider beam overall, and the beam is extended back t the transom. Lot's of room below, but they round up in a puff. THe old IOR boats are better sailers. It is comfort that is driving the industry today, not sailing technology.

[navahoIII]

Ah... that explains the wide beam extending all the way aft you see on some new boats! A sad compromise indeed!! The right balance between comfort and perforance, I would think, is the ideal.