America's Cup 2012

[Fishtigua]

The first of the 72' Cats has been launched, test speeds of 35 to 40 knots. These could be a real handful on the water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_dBbb9-R50&fea...

Here is the official website.

http://www.americascup.com/about/boats

[tank slapper]

They are very fast, but for some reason those boats leave me cold. I'd much prefer to see some proper yachts sailing for the cup.

[Fishtigua]

tank slapper said:

They are very fast, but for some reason those boats leave me cold. I'd much prefer to see some proper yachts sailing for the cup.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Sadly it seems most Racing Councils think Cats are where around-the-cans racing is 'at'. I like to watch the windward beats, not downwind dragracing.

[TheHeretic]

tank slapper said:

They are very fast, but for some reason those boats leave me cold. I'd much prefer to see some proper yachts sailing for the cup.

Love the Cat's. The speed is u real. Used to do that speed in the FRC I used to coxswain. To do it using wind on a vessel that size is impressive indeed.

[mickrick]

Holy Crap !
That just had me laughing out loud ! I aint never seen anything like that !

[Baron Greenback]

The 72 are going to be a handful in strong winds, can't wait to see them. I do miss the large mono hulls for sure but here is where the money is being spent!

[AnotherClarkey]

Fishtigua said:

Yeah, I know what you mean. Sadly it seems most Racing Councils think Cats are where around-the-cans racing is 'at'. I like to watch the windward beats, not downwind dragracing.

They do beat to windward as well - and much faster than the monohulls. I wouldn't want them to go back to monos for the same reason I don't want to see F1 raced in Golf GTI's.

[hyperblue]

Bloody hell, that was going some! Didn't look as fast as 35-40 knots until they showed the wake behind the RIB!

[AnotherClarkey]

The game has moved on a bit since the first video posted here - they are foiling the things now.

http://tvnz.co.nz/sailing-news/team-new-zealand-ta...

[Fishtigua]

That is just SO bloody quick, but as the guys said, how do you race them? How are you going to have close match racing?

Oooh, it's all too new to understand and I'm an old fuddy-duddy!!

[AnotherClarkey]

Fishtigua said:

That is just SO bloody quick, but as the guys said, how do you race them? How are you going to have close match racing?

Oooh, it's all too new to understand and I'm an old fuddy-duddy!!

I think the match racing will be just as good but different in nature. One of the things that makes it interesting is the tremendous acceleration of these boats - like the start of the first race between Alinghi and 'Dogzilla' in the last cup where Alinghi was caught napping and Oracle came in from nowhere to force a penalty with a devastating burst of speed.

[tank slapper]

AnotherClarkey said:

They do beat to windward as well - and much faster than the monohulls. I wouldn't want them to go back to monos for the same reason I don't want to see F1 raced in Golf GTI's.

No one is saying the AC race should be held with Westerly Centaurs. The Americas cup was a yacht race and while those cats are very fast, to my mind they aren't really yachts. I doubt we will see the close in match racing that you get with monohulls with these things.