AC 35th: Artemis & Oracle Flying Phantoms
Images sent by Nicolas Felix / FP International. The Flying Phantoms are being delivered. Two Americas Cup teams have officially ordered 2 each: Artemis & Oracle. Luna Rossa will get theirs too.
The Red Bull guys, Hagara & Steinacher launched their new Black Phantom and Artemis also have received and christened theirs, check Artemis Twtitter for pics.
In some months I will have 1 FP here to test again after I sailed her at Carnac, did not sailed much though and this time will be in our waters, this FP is bought by a local sailor. Also 3 Nacras F20 will arrive through the Nacra dealer.
So you will get lots of first hand info on matching performance, equipment and else. Plus some foiling Exploders & DNAs. We will have ‘Full House’ in BA within some months.
Check more construction images at Phantom International FB Web facebook.com/PhantomInternational
It's opinions like this that are pushing younger sailors away from catamarans and into other classes such as the moth or kiteboards. The A class is a development class, it needs to continue to develop or it will die. There is a reason no one sails a Unicorn anymore. If development had stopped at the Unicorn the class would probably not exist today.
This is just laughable. Simply laughable. Who in 2014 is buying an A-Cat with straight boards? Who is trying to fly an A-cat without rudder winglets? Why do Bimare so openly oppose development in the A-cat? Oh, I forgot, it's pretty simple, they are 2 years behind the leaders and have little hope of catching up with DNA, Exploder or the numerous other projects that have been successful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vDpGNhrZI_I
check this one .. after ONLY 1 year development
A class is cooler and more competitive then ever
I respect Lalo a lot, Bimare really made this class growing. But times are changing . This 2014.
Stop complaining. go racing.
This perspective is very short sighted. There is no reason to debate it because progress will march on regardless of such antiquated views. Still, it is frustrating to read. I am concerned with f18 class longevity. I see transition of n17 to full foiling with addition of rudder winglets for 2020 was just a bit early planning for 2016. For A class they should remove the board top loading restrictions. Hopefully this happens soon.
You miss the whole point of his post- we are NOT a "development" class anymore- or at least not an "open" development class. IF we really want to "foil" efficiently there are much easier and less costly/complex/hard to sail alternatives than those currently in place AND ones that wouldn't obsolete all the thousands of boats already out there! For instance why not allow board to be inserted from below so all the currently owned boats could simply upgrade boards and rudders and go "legally" foiling- perhaps even with "wands" or controllable rudders so the "majority" of current owners could realistically join the "foiling ranks".
As it is the current rule, like that of the AC72's was written to PROHIBIT foiling and only by exceptionally expensive/challenging means did they manage to circumvent it. So now that we ARE foiling why not open it to truly a development class with easy/affordable foiling for all?