The America's cup is approaching as the Challengers fight it out. Which might make you think that everyone's pretty much got their designs set in carbon-fibre, if not in stone. (That cliche is a bit too heavy for this sport. Stone boat: slow.)
Well the AC Measurement Committee released a decision earlier in May in response to several clarification requests posed by an unknown team. They're mostly about ACC rule 17 which restricts movement and distortion of submerged appendages.
Mostly what this means is that a team thinks they've got a way to get a little more righting moment through a tack by canting the keel to leeward (diagrams) prior to the tack gaining power and acceleration from the righting moment through and post tack and then returning the keel back to centerline.
I feel like they're trying to figure out how to roll-tack a 70 foot boat with a 20 ton bulb ballast.
1 comment:
awhh shut-up you swiss complainers.(It's got to be the swiss - the other guys are either cooked and out of it or fighting to stay alive...moving the keel around at this stage is too risky...BMW pretty much has no margin for error.) Win the start, nail the first shift and keep yourself between the wind and the other guy...just stay in his breeze. If he tries to drive over you on the down wind, luff him up and wait till he tries to get loose and luff him again...that's how you win these match races. Plus the boats are more like 80 feet, not that it makes a difference, its' still a hell of a lot of money spent on a pretty esoteric escapade.
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