AC 33: Milestone

Photo Gilles Martin Raget – SPEED

Photo Carlo Borlenghi
This Cup was arguably the most significant event in Sailing evolution history.
For Multihulls this AC also provided the maximum grade of exposure ever to the sailing community and non sailors alike.

USA Tri had a visible advantage in both races, but as pointed Alinghi didn´t performed at 100% on race 1. Today we saw a major improvement besides favored sides of the course, and the long reach defined the race today, where the Tri simply flew near the 30 knot range in 8knots of wind.

Hull ‘Queen’
Photo Gilles Martin Raget
Much talk about the Wing but USA platform was also a key component, A5 had the typical pitch movement of some F18s, to me that hull has too much rocker, as opposed to USA 17 Amas for final speed.
The Tri has a more flat line for her both amas, as they do not need a pronnounced rocker to mannouver as she pivots with her central hull for tacks and gybes.

If you look closer enough the glide and slice trough water and waves of Oracle leeward hull is simply, the Perfect Ride. Helped by a more stable flow in the Wing for sure, but that bow was slicing as smooth as they come.
Volume distribution helped big time along with designed rocker for USA Tri, A5 Cat one was quite different, will post some detail images later.

When they launched the new amas with less volume I had doubts of how the Tri would react taking account initial design, but it was key also that they removed an lot of hardware like central hull dagger and rudder systems for ie, reducing weight.
VPLP and Morrelli&Melvin worked on those USA 17 hulls. Pete Melvin gave us a description some months ago here “Pete Melvin on AC Wave Piercers“

Team Work
Right Photo Giles Martin Raget
Assembling and coordinating components, and changes was a real challenge for designers, builders and team members. Before the cup took place the gral idea was that they needed more time. The final result is just amazing, I wonder what level of performance they could have achieved with some months to spare.

Russell Coutts job as BOR CEO gave a management class for projects of this size.
Definitely RC is part of AC history.
He also was the responsible for electing a 90×90 Multihull platform for this DOG Match.
James Spithill proved again his class, and I hope he will continue racing multis in a near future.
Larry Ellison had one tough mission, a self made man, that invested and believed in Russell 100%, providing resources for an incredible boat-plane Tri!

A5:
Right Photo: Calro Borlenghi
The limited designed range for Alinghi was their biggest mistake. Even in RAK or other calm wind location you could never guarantee the conditions you are specting as given.

They made a great compromise to keep weight down using all that spider web rig, aiming for a more rigid structure. Did you see how spin pole dolphin striker did submerged several times in those calm sea conditions? imagine A5 in choppy seas, 15 knots and waves….
Is understandable now that they decided not to gamble extra with a Wing, so I agree with that decision.

With result given is always easy to talk, but you can read the blog archive where I pointed several times A5 five being a super light air machine. And I also bet that the Tri would prevailed over 5-6knots the previous days, the blog Poll reflected some gral feeling with the final testing done in Valencia on boths machines.

Without today’s reach leg maybe a closer result was possible, but it was a 110% effort to Alinghi, they needed no mistakes, and their 2nd penalty in a row was not the way to start.
I think also Loick Pyeron was in charge in the 1st leg where Alinghi managed to gain a 500mt advantage. And for sure today the had more power in their rig!
Finally Alinghi should be proud of what they ahchieved too, the biggest and finest racing Catamaran ever built!

Ernesto Bertarelli hold the Cup for ten years as he said today, well done and thanks for that incredible Cat, a good way to end a successful AC overall campaign, AC 32 was a blast also. EB Photo: Carlos Lujan

The Cup
For me it was a real pleasure to see live these two giants, I think all multihull sailors felt the same about it.

Photo Giles Martin Raget
As always, a lot has been said of these two guys, and again I say they are the main reason we were able to see this dream for multihull sailors come true.

Only Mediocre people can´t recognize the drive these two guys have for sailing.
Worst critics are always from people with unsatisfied personal lifes, but in the end, the ones making ideas a reality are the ones that count, with or without errors,
‘Doers’ are always at the top of my list.
Thank God this magnificent event has taken place in our lifetime!

So just one question remains to Larry and Russell: you are not going back to ‘mono-logs’ after this… right??????