America's Cup - Louis Vitton round 42 knots!!!!!

[macdoc]

Unreal speeds and these boats are huge.

On now

[Blind groper]

Louis Vuitton is now over. Team New Zealand beat Luna Rossa, the Italian entry.

The next stage is on. The America's Cup itself. The first two races have just been finished, and Team New Zealand just beat the American defender, Oracle in both of them. New Zealand needs to win 7 more races to recapture the cup.

I cannot believe the speeds. When those big catamarans lift onto their hydrofoils, they are almost flying. 40 knots plus. Wow!

[macdoc]

Y'know that's what I thought - that the switch to the 72s was for the final - but the commentators were saying 55 more races.....so I thought it was still the Vitton segment
Glad I caught it.

Amazing how fast the races are over with these spaceships

[Blind groper]

Yeah. 25 minutes from whoa to go.

Oracle had lost 2 races before the first kick off. There was a hearing about an earlier incidence of cheating in another branch of the America's Cup and Oracle were found guilty. As part of their penalty, they lost 2 of the final races before they began. This meant that, to win, Oracle had to nail down 11 races, and Team New Zealand had to win only 9. The NZ boat has now won 2. So this means NZ has to win 7 more, while Oracle is still left with the task of winning 11.

Next races tomorrow (early Sunday afternoon, San Francisco time.) I will be watching it on TV.

If you get the chance to watch it, I thoroughly recommend you take the time. These boats are spectacular.

[macdoc]

http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings

Full schedule and do try and watch they are superb especially the starts.

I thought the last Cup was incredible at the starts but these things are just phenomenal.

[Blind groper]

The next two Americas Cup races have been run. First won by Team NZ. Second by America's Oracle.

Both races were very exciting. The speeds they reach! What we do not see is how incredibly precarious those boats are. They are sailing on the edge of disaster the whole time. A nose dive, or even complete tip is 'on the edge' every second of the way.

[Blind groper]

Update for anyone interested.
Latest race.

New Zealand won by its greatest margin yet. Lost the start, but came from behind to pass and extend a very, very long lead (a mile ahead at one point).

There were supposed to be two races today, but the American team asked for a postponement after the first race.

Current score.
NZ +4
USA -1

The first team to get 9 points will win.

[piscator]

Time for another ballast inspection...these yachts shouldn't be that far apart unless someone made a critical error.

[PsychoSerenity]

Jesus these boats, when both hulls are out of the water and they're just on the foils, absolutely insane.



It's just astonishing to me that sailing technology has still advanced so much - it almost makes me sad that it's been outdone with engines. These super powerful vessels make me imagine an alternative history where these could be used with technology from two or three hundred years ago, chasing down pirate ships on the high seas.

[piscator]

Jesus these boats, when both hulls are out of the water and they're just on the foils, absolutely insane.



It's just astonishing to me that sailing technology has still advanced so much - it almost makes me sad that it's been outdone with engines. These super powerful vessels make me imagine an alternative history where these could be used with technology from two or three hundred years ago, chasing down pirate ships on the high seas.

I like the idea that maybe one day some of these technologies can scale up to bring a New Age of Sail in global cargo transport.

[piscator]

There are whole classes of small racing sail hydrofoils. They're called Moths

[piscator]

http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings

Full schedule and do try and watch they are superb especially the starts.

I thought the last Cup was incredible at the starts but these things are just phenomenal.

Yeah they are.
And it's worth noting that both yachts started with the same design parameters (the Cup Rules), then cloistered themselves, and came up with remarkably similar designs. This suggests the tip of the technology is indeed a fine point. The Rules help make that so, but the Rules are based in the physics.

It looks like Emirates foots faster on most points of sail, and points at least as well as Oracle. It doesn't look good for Oracle.

But when Emirates slamdunks the other boat by 20x the margin it did previously in similar conditions, one has to wonder what went on to cause that...


Good time out by Oracle, who by happy coincidence is hosting Oracle Open World in San Francisco concurrently with the AC Finals.

[macdoc]

Called pulling a button hook tack and nose diving while doing so and while comfortably ahead....that would qualify as a face plant.

This race could have been Oracles

[piscator]

Called pulling a button hook tack and nose diving while doing so and while comfortably ahead....that would qualify as a face plant.

I see... They had the start, but that foiling tack went too far and stole their energy, then they had to put it in the current early to keep from getting blanketed. Made it easy for Emirates when they shot themselves in the foot like that.

[macdoc]

Yeah - seems like they did not react well to actually being in the lead and stayed with a play book that contained a maneuver never before attempted in these races.
Had they just covered the Kiwis per standard tactics - they likely had the race.

That's poor judgement call. Coutts must have gone ballistic.