Team Seacats

I only wish they had given us just a little more of some of this spectacular footage! But, I guess that’s the point. I can’t wait for the first AC45 event.

So how do you provide live (and fair/accurate) on the water judging for a sailboat race when the boats are as fast as the RIB’s that would carry the judges? Consider also that the judges will need kidney belts, goggles, and snorkels to withstand the jarring and spray through the chop as their power boats try to keep up. How do you do it? You do it with technology! Check out this Sail-World.com inside view of an early test of the electronic “control room” judging software being developed for the next America’s cup. There will be racing perimeters setup for the course and about mid-way in this video you will see Oracle White sail beyond the perimeter and get penalized immediately. This is cool stuff.

вик услугиBack in the old pointied-bowed days of catamaran sailing (Nacras), there was a thing known as “bow sizzle”. It happened when you pushed the boat just hard enough that the deck of the bow dipped just below the surface of the water and made a sizzling noise as it’s motion through the water ripped the surface and threw water up. Watch this on a AC45 as they struggle to depower….BOW SIZZLE.

It’s all about risk and reward. Some of the most elite sports carry the most risk. Bicycling, Formula 1, etc. We’re finally there with sailing. Several of the new AC45 catamarans (a one design class for the most part) have been constructed and are now on the water in New Zealand. These are the predecessor to the custom team-designed AC72 catamaran big brothers we’ll see for the main event. I can’t wait! Even these 45′s are going to be exhilarating to watch!

July 13 to Sept 1, 2013. San Francisco. Will I see you there?

This rocks. A tiny taste of the 72 foot winged catamarans to come for the America’s Cup. This one is a meager 45 feet. It just wouldn’t be possible to put this kind of music on a lead ballasted boat under sail.