I've followed the last few America's Cup. The tech is fascinating. It's DTM/F1/ Space-X level dollars and technology. The speed and agility of these behemoths is astounding. 3-4x the wind speed.. up wind. Watching the current videos, you can see these things pulling at least 1G when tacking.




https://youtu.be/OQsXDdGxk3U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQsXDdGxk3U

 

I'm fairly big into sailing for the past 20+ years. Most sailers never go more than 10 knots (~11 miles per hour) their entire sailing life. For these boats to make it 50 knots (~55 mph) is just incredible. America's Cup boat's have always been bleeding edge technologies kept secret from the other teams, but for many years it was to eke out 0.1 more knots. (Just the technology in the sails is amazing. Like racing tires, racing sails don't last longer than a race & the soft sails today are built in kevlar & carbon fiber.) Since they have opened up the designs it's incredible what sort of speed they have accomplished. I sort of miss the days of the old 12 meters & IACC, because I could relate to them, but the current boats are just killer to watch.

 

Amazing technology for sure. I have friends that were way into racing and I did a few regattas with them back in the day; had fun and learned a lot. Sailboats are always fastest with a headwind, IIRC the fastest course is right around 45 degrees off the prevailing wind. A boat going downwind subtracts its speed from the wind speed, but a boat going upwind combines its speed (or a vector thereof) with the wind speed for a greater effective wind speed. Then the jib sail directs fast wind over the front edge of main sail and the differential between that and the slow wind inside the sail creates a wing effect to give even more propulsion. The physics are pretty cool.

 

May have run across you in an earlier life Schroedinger; I use to race on Lake Lanier in the early 2000's. Good fun, but I find myself more of a cruiser than a racer when it comes to sailing. Don't get me wrong...2 boats on the water means there is a race going on! But racing a school bus is not the same as a Ferrari Miata. Funny that two guys in land locked Atlanta respond to this thread.

Emilio, if you have never been proper sailing. I suggest you catch a ride and do it. I think you would catch the sailing bug, it's very technical, mental & physical all at the same time. I'd offer to take you out, but since you are only a few miles from the Pacific, why fly to Atlanta to go sailing on a lake. Schroedinger, if you are ever looking to go out. Offer stands for you too.

 

RDB, that's great that you're still into sailing- it's a great hobby. Most of my sailboat racing was done when I lived in Florida; my buddy that got me into it was a licensed commercial captain and his job was doing boat deliveries between FL and the islands. We raced all over FL and would go over to do Abacos Race Week every summer. I also did some recreational sailing on Lake Travis when I lived in Austin. I've actually never been out on Lanier, hadn't met any sailing friends in ATL yet. May take you up on your offer!

 

I live in a very popular sailing area, with a nice sheltered harbor. I’m always a bit surprised at the serious cruising sailboats in our harbor that never seem to be off mooring - some Hinckley Sou’wester 50’s, a B40, and others. The guy we bought our house from postponed the closing because he had shipped his Little Harbors Pilothouse to Scotland so he could sail it in the North Sea - don’t know what he was doing in a house that we could afford.

Here’s a link to a local shipyard and the boat they built, Comanche. They’re only about 10 miles from us, and my neighbor works there on DOD stuff.
100' Monohull Superyacht Comanche by Hodgdon
The more I read about that boat and all the tech that went into it, the more impressed I am, although I suppose if you have Jim Clark’s money why not.

Here’s Sarah Jane, a 65’ custom Pilothouse moored in front of us. It gets used a lot - like back and forth from Maine to St John’s every year. Except 2020, this spring a travelift broke and dropped it.

 

Looks like MT needs a sailing thread..

 

The amount of money is pretty insane. I read that Ellison spent something like $115 mil to sponsor the 2013 winner.