Americas Cup 2021 - this is going to be entertaining

"Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi) 02/12/2020 at 00:04 • Filed to: boatlopnik, America's Cup

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These are big-ass boats to be faceplanting at foiling speeds - and this one is just NYYC’s  half-scale test mule.

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Team NZ and Luna Rossa have also already had significant O opsies in testing:

Poor_Sh > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 07:04

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Day 2 of their original testing. My first day pics ’s weren’ t great. Anyway it's tons of fun seeing American Magic test boat blasting around the bay with the chase boats trying to keep up. Hope they can bring it home. 

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 09:24

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As a small boat sailer (Sunfish) I can barely imagine the balancing act of the foils and sails... Its hard enough just keeping a simple little lateen rigged boat on balance when you’re trying to go fast. Are the foil controls automated, or is someone actually driving the planes manually? 

Grindintosecond > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 11:52

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It’s great to watchin now they’re driving freakin race cars! Saw last year when taking a corner generated so much force anyone not tucked in or strapped down would get rolled out and overboard. A few guys got tossed.

HammerheadFistpunch > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 12:26

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At least the bow stuffs look a little less violent than the pitch poles in the cats.

Sovande > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 12:47

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I used to work at the New York Yacht Club in Newport.  I’d never seen so many pink pants and ascots.

Gerry197 > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 12:48

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Kinda miss the days a couple of decades back when they actually looked like sailboats and didn’t cost so much that more countries were involved in the process.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HammerheadFistpunch 02/12/2020 at 13:02

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What you said there probably makes sense to someone. Else...

My BIL’s dad said that yacht racing was like standing fully clothed in a cold shower tearing up hundred-dollar-bills.

Darkbrador > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 13:14

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Sponsored by Airbus, f ace planting at speed in the ocean ... sounds about right. 

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Darkbrador 02/12/2020 at 13:35

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That’s Boeing’s trick nowadays, isn’t it?

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/12/2020 at 13:38

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And he’s right. Although substitute sitting in a sauna for standing in a shower  and you could be talking about motor racing :-).

Darkbrador > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 13:39

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Yes, Americans are always jealous of the French. 

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 02/12/2020 at 14:42

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The last couple of times round they were manually controlled, but this time they’ve got smaller crews, so maybe they’re automated - I haven’t followed the rule s that closely.

If you think these are hard, try a M oth class - none of this namby pamby tripod bullshit, you’re literally balancing on a knife edge. Most of the current crop of Americas Cup skippers race these things in their free time to keep their edge.

(warning: Eurobeat intensifies in video)

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Gerry197 02/12/2020 at 14:50

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Its funny how it’s come full circle - 100 years ago the J Class competitors were the pinnacle of technological innovation and only billionaires need apply.

The time when more countries got involved was when more people thought they were in with a chance of a win - there’d been 40 years of yawn in those same sailboats before the Australians finally broke it loose from the NYYC. Openi ng it up to innovation let any one with some bright design ideas be in with a cha n ce. Same theo ry as LMP racing, and eventually the same thing happened as in LMP racing - money always wins in the end.

The big problem with the 12 metres was they were so damn slow - any random $5000 sailing dinghy would whip their asses. It was a great platform for allowing the best tacticians and most disciplined crews to shine through, but booooring for spectators - both the poors and the owners and their friends.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 14:51

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I bet yacht racing is more expensive.

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Sovande 02/12/2020 at 14:52

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When Michael Fay challenged in the 80s his vehicle was the Mercury Bay Boating Club. I’ve been there - total membership about 12, the clubhouse is falling down, and mandatory dress code is shorts, ratty t-shirt and flipflops. They’re probably the poorest club ever to win a major international t rophy in any sport.

Sovande > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 02/12/2020 at 15:00

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Seeing these in the wild is pretty cool.  It’s amazing to see a sail”boat” move that fast.

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/12/2020 at 16:17

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Nah, sailing’s actually pretty much on a par with motorsport all the way up the scale.

Casual weekend racing in a sailing dinghy of some sort will cost you Chumpcar money or less. When I was doing it I had about $3k in my boat and maybe a thousand a year in wear and tear and breakages - the biggest cost was needing to DD a tow-capable car.

Competing at national level in a trailerable class (e.g. Lasers) is Spec Miata money

Running a One Ton Cup campaign (low end of the large-fleet international yacht racing classes) is probably similar to running a season in one of the gentleman-racer Ferrari or Maserati type series

Shooting for an outright win in the Sydney to Hobart or one of the other high-profile offshore races will need Le Mans money

Americas Cup budgets are pretty similar to Formula One ones, both at the back of the field and the front. $100M to get in the game, $300M+ to be a contender. But that’s across 4 years not one.