Bad day for Artemis Racing

[David_Old_Jersey]

I am sure "something will be done" and "lessons will be learned".

Never had any big interest in the Americas Cup (rich fat middle aged white fellas waving willies and wallets at each other, on the water and in court - I guess it makes a change from golf), I think it got on the news radar back in the 80's when the US lost the cup to the Aussies (or the Kiwis?).

I think they should either go for Tris, or back to the J class yachts!

[boatman61]

Ahhh... That'll be when the Kiwi's proved that 'Ketches do Sail'...

[lancelot9898]

Just watched a youtube video of one of these "boats" "sailing". The question becomes when does a boat become a plane?

[JPA Cate]

If you guys check 'Lectronic Latitude, you'll read that the forward cross beam between the hulls collapsed, the rear one holding, hulls went in different directions, and ...kablowiey! Way sad situation. However, there had been previous concerns about the structural integrity of that member, and it was thought to be "okay." Neither winds, seas, nor speeds were known to be excessive.

A.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

If you guys check 'Lectronic Latitude, you'll read that the forward cross beam between the hulls collapsed, the rear one holding, hulls went in different directions, and ...kablowiey! Way sad situation. However, there had been previous concerns about the structural integrity of that member, and it was thought to be "okay." Neither winds, seas, nor speeds were known to be excessive.

A.

Seems to me I read that the cross beam in the bow had failed once before, off the coast of Spain. I don't recall any specifics about the state of the weather or seas, but nothing seemed excessive in this recent accident. By the way, it wasn't on the NBC News tonight.

Personally I think it was newsworthy, the death of a Gold medal Olympian practicing for the next Olympics.

[Kettlewell]

Statement from Artemis Racing:

Artemis Racing is in the process of conducting a thorough review and analysis of this week’s accident. As a part of this review, Artemis Racing is sharing and exchanging data and information with concurrent work being performed by America’s Cup and the San Francisco Police Department. Until this process is complete, any conclusions being made about the events that led to the boat’s capsizing and its tragic outcome are pure speculation. Out of respect for Bart’s memory and his family, we ask that the broader sailing community and others reserve judgment until all the facts are known, and not persist in unnecessary rumor. We again thank everyone for their continued support and thoughts during this difficult time.

[David_Old_Jersey]

The cover up starts.........

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

The majority of teenage kids will never be interested in the same thing as their parents, and that's as it should be.

It's not because downhill ski racing is understimulating, or over-safe, that kids turned to watching snowboarding, to the point where it eventually became an Olympic sport.
Few sports are as self-evidently overstimulating and under-safe as downhill ski racing.

While it's certainly true that it is their money and they can do as they like (AC racing has ALWAYS been a rich mans game that the rest of us may watch), as a skier what you say is dead on. It seems to be more about snow boarding being "their own game" than anything inherently bettter...

... Though I'm glad my daughter prefers skis and stunned that I can still keep up. If she narrows the skills gap by 1 milimeter, I will relegated to watching her from far behind.

[Blue Crab]

With respect to Simpson's family, death/injury is almost necessary for tech stuff to keep creating the leading edge. We all benefit from hi tech eventually, even when we personally feel no need for speed.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

With respect to Simpson's family, death/injury is almost necessary for tech stuff to keep creating the leading edge. We all benefit from hi tech eventually, even when we personally feel no need for speed.

With Respect I agree.. these guys are comparable to the early test pilots for jets.. then the sound barrier.. the buzz is testing the limits.. both theirs and their craft's..
In our simple world (in comparison) we accept the possibility of things going pear shaped...
for them its more a certainty... and they/we always come out the other side
In our minds eye..

[zeehag]

rip.

[sneuman]

Really, I think anyone giving this a modicum of thought knew that it was only a matter of time before someone was killed.

I agree with others who say that there's nothing about these boats that attracts a larger and/or younger audience. Bottom-line is (and I have said it before) - 40 knots on the water does not translate on camera. A general audience just isn't going to get it. For the sailors, there's no tacking duels, no sail trim to speak of (hard sail + these boats generate so much apparent wind that they're always close hauled) and not really much activity to look at on deck. It's dead boring, period.

There's too much invested to go back now, however, so they're stuck with the multihulls and waning interest in the America's Cup.

The solution is to bring back a rules regime that produces affordable boats and encourages lots of syndicates. Then make the whole thing into a giant reality TV show - interviewing personalities and amping the intra- and inter-crew rivalries. That's how to get a younger audience.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Really, I think anyone giving this a modicum of thought knew that it was only a matter of time before someone was killed.

I agree with others who say that there's nothing about these boats that attracts a larger and/or younger audience. Bottom-line is (and I have said it before) - 40 knots on the water does not translate on camera. A general audience just isn't going to get it. For the sailors, there's no tacking duels, no sail trim to speak of (hard sail + these boats generate so much apparent wind that they're always close hauled) and not really much activity to look at on deck. It's dead boring, period.

There's too much invested to go back now, however, so they're stuck with the multihulls and waning interest in the America's Cup.

The solution is to bring back a rules regime that produces affordable boats and encourages lots of syndicates. Then make the whole thing into a giant reality TV show - interviewing personalities and amping the intra- and inter-crew rivalries. That's how to get a younger audience.

Its gone beyond investment...
Its now just National Corporate pride... keep the Cup at any cost...
we're not cheating... we just changed the rules.. sorry if it screwed your plans..

[Cheechako]

Now that they are up on hydro foils and moving 40 mph.. anything goes.... is NASCAR or Formula ONE racing safe? I think it's a lot more exciting to watch now, hell I could mow my lawn and not miss anything during a race off Newport years ago! Are they learning much to add to the world of cruising?.... I doubt it!

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Now that they are up on hydro foils and moving 40 mph.. anything goes.... is NASCAR or Formula ONE racing safe? I think it's a lot more exciting to watch now, hell I could mow my lawn and not miss anything during a race off Newport years ago! Are they learning much to add to the world of cruising?.... I doubt it!

It's all about the camera. In F1 or NASCAR, you at least have a background to reference the speed against. Not so on the water. A variation on that point is the reason that we all know waves look smaller on camera - there's no reference.

Just think back to the last AC - two multihulls that were rarely even close to one another. In fact they were often so far apart that the television cameras couldn't keep them in the same shot.