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It was no April Fool\u2019s gag\u2026<\/p>\n
09 Apr 2015<\/p>\n
Artemis Racing\u2019s AC45 \u2013 photo: Sander van der Borch\/Artemis Racing<\/p>\n
AMERICA\u2019S CUP: The item we ran on April 1st from Eurobutt suggesting the America\u2019s Cup was going to be a one design seems to have had rather more basis in fact than an April Fool joke, writes Peter Nash.<\/p>\n
Because the latest we hear from Mr Ellison and Co is that the next AC is likely to use boats that are \u2013 essentially – one design catamarans.<\/p>\n
And they\u2019re small. At 48ft loa, the AC48 is smallest boat ever used for the 165 year old America\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n
The boats were designed by Oracle\u2019s designer and the wing, sails, hulls, platform\/crossbeams are \u201cstandardised\u201d.<\/p>\n
So we now have an America\u2019s Cup that was \u2013 for 165 years – always sailed in majestic monohulls, now brought down to 48ft catamarans that have absolutely no sense of power and majesty whatsoever.<\/p>\n
They will, of course, be incredibly fast. Foiling has come a long way since the last AC. But is this going to be enough to make a sailboat series that was always a spectacle seem anything other than a few very small, very fast little boats racing around?<\/p>\n
As one commentator put it \u2013 a small foiling catamaran offers nothing in tactical sailing. So there will be no real pre start jousting. There will be no tactical sailing upwind or downwind. All it can offer is speed, speed and more speed.<\/p>\n
But, according to Ben Ainslie, the new America\u2019s Cup wing sail foiling catamaran will be \u201cmore manoeuvrable\u201d and \u201cbetter suited\u201d to Bermuda\u2019s racecourse.<\/p>\n
Mr Ainslie insists the new class is \u201cabsolutely essential for the long term good of the Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n
I hear far more people asking for a return to modernised 12 Metre boats. Or how about TP52s? That would give fast and furious sailing people could understand.<\/p>\n
Mr Ainslie continued, pointing out the new boats \u201cwill be able to achieve speeds of close to 50 miles an hour, far faster than any other current racing series in global sailing, and a match for the 72ft boats that raced the 34th America\u2019s Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the speed of the new boats may be matched perfectly by the speed of Luna Rossa in withdrawing from the new look America\u2019s Cup with its new choice of the AC48 after having spent millions in developing Luna Rossa\u2019s AC62.<\/p>\n
But as well as the change of boat, there are arguments about the elimination series, with the Australian round likely to be eliminated itself.<\/p>\n
And, as the Australian government was due to be a major sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand if the elimination series went to Auckland, that now seems to have put the team\u2019s entry in doubt.<\/p>\n
So now we have just Ben Ainslie Racing and the Swedish Artemis down as challengers against Oracle.<\/p>\n
What a mess, eh? Not much of a spectacle in there. Except the spectacle of interested parties fighting for what THEY think is the right way for the AC to go.<\/p>\n
And the latest is it seems the French squad led by Franck Cammas has been given some help by Oracle.<\/p>\n
“We have some very good news: the Americans, Oracle, have decided to share their design and to collaborate with Team France,” Cammas told French radio station Europe 1.<\/p>\n
As French AC sailor Bruno Troubl\u00e9 put it \u2013 rather well, think most people \u2013 \u201cGolden Gate Yacht Club, and their Oracle Team USA, are great sailors but hopeless guards of the Myth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey managed to kill the style and elegance which prevailed for decades, those unique aspects of the America\u2019s Cup for which was our main aim at Louis Vuitton for 30 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have now is a vulgar beach event smelling of sunscreen and french fries. This is definitely NOT the Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think Mr Troubl\u00e9 hit the nail on the head there\u2026<\/p>\n
via Boating Business – It was no April Fool\u2019s gag\u2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Email Print It was no April Fool\u2019s gag\u2026 09 Apr 2015 Artemis Racing\u2019s AC45 \u2013 photo: Sander van der Borch\/Artemis Racing AMERICA\u2019S CUP: The item we ran on April 1st from Eurobutt suggesting the America\u2019s Cup was going to be … Continue reading