Twenty Knots

[thomm225]

I'm guessing the next one will be big seas, and big winds down under............with monohulls.

[neilpride]

Average wind speed blowing at Auckland year round??????

[colemj]

Originally Posted by markpierce

The races are exciting. Nevertheless, it's difficult to tell from the sail trim whether the boats are going upwind or downwind, and I miss the sail changes. Where are the spinnakers! Please, please, let's return to monohulls.

There haven't been free-flying spinnakers in AC boats for a long time. Even if they do go back to mono's, the days of balloons stuck up front are long gone.

At most, you will see large headsails, and I expect pretty shallow apparent wind angles downwind even for mono's.

But I don't understand what some people think of as "real" AC racing. Bring back topsails and yardarms and yankees and cross sails and jiggers and angel pokers - that's REAL AC racing!!!

Please, please, let's return to clipper ships.

Mark

[deckofficer]

I wonder if kites will be used in the future? With their 25 to 1 tractor force over conventional sails, it would make for some interesting downwind legs.

[Wraith_Mac]

Originally Posted by Coops

Over here in Aus, unless you have pay tv you cannot watch it. The commercial channels are not interested, which is a reflection on how they think Aussies feel about the AC. Nobody outside of sailing circles talks about it, only in a disparaging way. Even within the circles, it's only the racers who are interested.

Coops.

Maybe where you are Coops but I just watched the live feed from Americas Cup HQ site on my PC.
Home / America’s Cup
Click on videos, click on play etc.
Even at our local golf club, there have been no disparaging remarks that I have heard but a little extra interest because of the cats, same at the RSL.
Then that may be because a high percentage of the members spend a fair bit of time involved in water sports/fishing, the lakes and ocean are close by.
I haven't heard any bad mouthing at Wangi either but haven't spent a lot of time there at 'peak' hour.
Then again they're pretty familiar with foiling skiffs and fast cats there, maybe that's a factor?
Cheers,
Mac

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by markpierce

The races are exciting. Nevertheless, it's difficult to tell from the sail trim whether the boats are going upwind or downwind, and I miss the sail changes. Where are the spinnakers! Please, please, let's return to monohulls.

Where it's difficult to tell if the boats are actually moving...

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by colemj

There haven't been free-flying spinnakers in AC boats for a long time. Even if they do go back to mono's, the days of balloons stuck up front are long gone.

At most, you will see large headsails, and I expect pretty shallow apparent wind angles downwind even for mono's. ...

Something like this?

[colemj]

Yes, getting closer - notice the apparent wind and the fixed tack. Although I expect any next AC mono would be such that a much flatter code 0 -type would be the deepest sail - that big ballooning asym would probably not find a home.

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I wonder if kites will be used in the future? With their 25 to 1 tractor force over conventional sails, it would make for some interesting downwind legs.

While it is easy to dismiss kites due to the inefficiencies of the sailing angles and the physical difficulties with deploying/retrieving, the entire idea is rife with technological possibilities. My first thought was to toss the idea, but my curiosity reminded me that they race kiteboards at phenomenal speeds and that technology is only in its infancy.

But if it involves catamarans and Ellison, it is a bad idea. If not, it is an interesting thought.

Mark

[deckofficer]

Mark,

The rules since 2002 allow them as spinnaker replacements for racing, so who knows?
KiteShip - Pleasure Marine

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by colemj

Well, in the US, you have one commercial channel covering it some of the time - not all the races, and the ones they do cover they spend 5 minutes of each 20min race out on commercials. Usually at the most crucial time.

Maybe the future is internet broadcasting, because the Youtube coverage has been superb.

Mark

The AC site or the apps give it live and for free plus a lot of choices like boat 1 , boat 2 virtual etc

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Coops

Over here in Aus, unless you have pay tv you cannot watch it. The commercial channels are not interested, which is a reflection on how they think Aussies feel about the AC. Nobody outside of sailing circles talks about it, only in a disparaging way. Even within the circles, it's only the racers who are interested.

Coops.

If you had watched the races nobody could say that it was not exciting.

If one actually sails the footage is spectacular. You must only be watching the old AC races not the current series.

That the commercial channels are not interested without an Australian vessel involved is hardly surprising.

Cheers

[Coops]

Originally Posted by downunder

If you had watched the races nobody could say that it was not exciting.

If one actually sails the footage is spectacular. You must only be watching the old AC races not the current series.

That the commercial channels are not interested without an Australian vessel involved is hardly surprising.

Cheers

I watched the races live, or tried to, on pay tv. Got bored with all the postponements and watched the highlights on the sports news channel instead.

Coops.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by downunder

If you had watched the races nobody could say that it was not exciting.

If one actually sails the footage is spectacular. You must only be watching the old AC races not the current series.

That the commercial channels are not interested without an Australian vessel involved is hardly surprising.

Cheers

You're wasting your time. There are those who are so dogmatically anti-multihull, they will never appreciate the racing, no matter what.

[deckofficer]

Could this be Oracle's new theme song? Stayin' Alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY