America's Cup - 43.6 knots - but who is counting?

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29 Nov 2012

America's Cup - 43.6 knots - but who is counting?

Welcome to Sail-World.com's fourth America's Cup Newsletter for the 34th America's Cup.

Personal highlight this month on the America's Cup scene had to be the three hour sail on board Emirates Team NZ's AC 72.

The day had been put off two or three times, but was well worth waiting for, with winds around 18-25 knots and rain squalls moving through the course on a typical Auckland day.

Previously I had sailed aboard an AC45 in Auckland soon after the boats were first launched. That day was at the opposite end of the scale with a breeze of 4-6kts, and you could walk around the boat quite easily taking photos.

Not on this day on the AC72. There is some serious G-force on board these boats, as they accelerate.

We did two runs and two beats and a couple of short reaches. Peak speed was 43.6kts on one of the downwind runs, but the AC72 didn't feel like she was terribly pressed, and maybe had another 10kts in her.

There was no feeling that ETNZ was on the limit of control - once set up this boat does all the work, which probably explains why the 43.6kts didn't feel that fast.

Upwind, although slower at around 20-23kts, the AC72 is very impressive. Again the boat does the work. Pull a few strings, and and whammo you're heading upwind like you've never sailed before. It feels like you are hanging onto a speeding bullet.

This day, with new fairings, the AC72 got a bit too enthusiastic, occasionally foiling to windward, and then using the 50kts apparent windspeed, tried to go the whole way and fly.

We have a full description of the day in this edition, along with images. One of the conditions of the ride was that cameras were not permitted aboard, so all shots are from off the boat.

Emirates Team NZ and Luna Rossa have raced for the second time in the Hauraki Gulf. While both yachts are foiling, we don't have the money shot yet, which is of the two AC72's foiling in the one frame.

Racing aside, the Italian Challenger is on a steady work-up, remarkable for being able to get foiling on their first day of sailing.

Their one hitch being a rigging incident, resulting in the top back section of the wing being damaged, and more seriously, one crew member breaking a leg.

In San Francisco, Artemis Racing continues her steady build up, with three days of sailing concluded on the America's Cup course. Her crew seem to be pleased with the progress made, and we have images, stories and video from the team's first days of sailing.

Not a lot from Oracle Team US in this edition. Not from a lack of trying on our part, with interview arrangements being accepted and then declined or shifted at short notice. We then submitted a list of written questions, but have had no reply. That was a week ago.

The off the water action which is an integral part of the America's Cup has continued this month, with a protest being lodged by Luna Rossa against Oracle Team USA over one incident, however Sail-World understands there have been others. Perhaps the surprising thing about the images that have been released elsewhere, is that the cameras the team spies are carrying don't seem to be big enough to be much use at the 200metre distance required by the AC Protocol.

The other surprise is from Emirates Team New Zealand who have all but announced that their first AC72 will be decommissioned in a couple of weeks and will not sail in the normal two-boat approach against their second AC72 due for launch in early February.

We will be publishing further America's Cup newsletters, when there is sufficient content and/or on milestone occasions - we expect this to be once a month, until the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
Sail-World's America's Cup News Editor

Gladwell's Line: Riding shotgun on Emirates Team NZ's AC72 at 43.6kts
Richard Gladwell,
Sail-World.com's NZ and America's Cup Editor, Richard Gladwell, spent three hours on Emirates Team NZ's AC72 for a training session on the Hauraki Gulf. Sailing in winds of up to 25kts the AC72 hit an amazing 43.6kts and didn't even feel like she was breaking into a sweat. He reports on Wednesday's race and test session.... [more]
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America's Cup: Day 2 of racing in Auckland for Luna Ross and Emirates
Sail-World,
Two America's Cup Challengers, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ were on the Hauraki Gulf doe their second day of racing. Emirates Team NZ photographer was on hand to capture the action... [more]
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America's Cup: Grant Dalton reflects on the first 24 days sailing
Sail-World,
Emirates Team New Zealand's MD, Grant Dalton, who also crews on the AC72 has confirmed that the boat which has done 24 days sailing, will be used as a spare boat only for the team. It is believed that the boat will be taken out of commission around mid-December, and parts of it will be transferred to the teams new boat due for launch in early February.... [more]
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America's Cup: Jury deflects Artemis claim over error on daggerboards
Richard Gladwell,
The Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup, Artemis Racing, have lost an appeal to the International Jury over their earlier foil measurement decision. On October 7, the International Jury ruled on an application from Emirates Team New Zealand, that the Measurement Committee had erred in their interpretation of a Class Rule governing the AC72 catamarans to be used in the America's Cup... [more]
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America's Cup: More to learn from the C-Class?
Sail-World and Will Clark (Video),
Much of the current America's Cup is borrowed from the C-Class, who ironically sailed for the Little America's Cup. Since the 1960's the C-Class have been built to a restricted class rule, or near-'box' rule, like the AC72's. Renowned as one of the fastest boats on the planet, the 26ft C-Class have been the design hot-bed for catamarans, multihull and wingsail development for several decades.... [more]
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America's Cup: Luna Rossa skipper reflects on the opening days
America's Cup.com,
Luna Rossa Challenge skipper Max Sirena is embarking on his fourth America's Cup challenge with the Italian syndicate. He joined the fledgling team in 2000 as a mid-bowman, but now has chosen every man on the team. Sirena took time out yesterday to review how the team has progressed after its late entry into the 34th America's Cup.... [more]
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America's Cup: Artemis Racing crew report on Day 3 + Video
Sail-World,
America's Cup Challenger of Record, Artemis Racing have completed their third day of sailing in San Francisco and report on their progress so far. Winds started light but later in the day came in at 15kts - a great breeze to test the AC72... [more]
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America's Cup: First AC72 Practice Race happens in Auckland + Video
ETNZBlog.com,
Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa went racing off Auckland this afternoon. It was not so much a spectacle as an historic encounter as the two AC72 catamarans met on the water. It was the first AC72 race – practice or otherwise – to take place.... [more]
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America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ blasting in the Gulf
Chris Cameron,
Emirates Team NZ was out sailing again in the Hauraki Gulf on Friday, ahead of an advancing front which hammered Auckland over the weekend. Team photographer, Chris Cameron, was on hand to capture the action.... [more]
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America's Cup: Confessions of a Wingsail Trimmer - Glenn Ashby
ETNZBlog.com,
Emirates Team New Zealand wing trimmer Glenn Ashby recalls only one anxious moment while sailing the AC72. It was the time a squall hit them on Auckland Harbour just as they were about to round North Head. 'We had been in squalls before but never when we either had to tack the boat or commit to bearing away. We were in close to 30 knots true wind speed.... [more]
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America's Cup: Two AC72's sailing on the Hauraki Gulf
Richard Gladwell,
Another milestone in the 34th America's Cup occurred today, November 19,2012 with two AC72's sailing on the Hauraki Gulf for the first time. For much of the session Luna Rossa confined herself to being well offshore, while Emirates Team NZ was much closer to the Takapuna shore. Later Sail-World's camera caught Luna Rossa on her mooring at sunset... [more]
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America's Cup Uncovered: Episode 64 - AC72' s in San Fran and Auckland
ACM,
This week on America's Cup Discovered we talk all things AC72. We are onboard with Emirates Team New Zealand as their impressive preparations are making news headlines. We have an exclusive interview with Oracle Team USA's CEO Russell Coutts for an update after last months catastrophic capsize. We then catch up with Artemis Racing in advance of their first sail on their newly launched AC72.... [more]
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America's Cup: Volvo skipper gets first taste of foiling + Video
Sail-World,
Chris Nicholson, skipper of second place getter in the Volvo Ocean Race, Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand, had a big day out when he joined the America's Cup sailing crew on the teams AC72 America's Cup Challenger. The video features some excellent extended footage of the yacht foiling. Later in the day ETNZ's AC72 hit speeds of 43.6kts... [more]
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America's Cup: Launch incident injures Luna Rossa shore crew member
Sail-World,
Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 shore team member, Fred Gastinet has been injured in a launching incident on Friday, November 16, just before midday. He suffered a compound fracture of the shinbone, requiring surgery. The top of the wingsail for the AC72 catamaran has been damaged. The incident terminated the planned sailing session, and is expected to cause some small delay in the team's workup program... [more]
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America's Cup: Sailing Ups and Downs in two Cities
Sail-World,
America's Cup Challengers are once again sailing out of two cities on opposite sites of the Pacific. In San Francisco, Artemis Racing went sailing for the second day - with a little more breeze than on the first, and by all accounts had a good session.... [more]
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America's Cup: Artemis Racing sails for first time in San Fran + Video
America's Cup.com,
Artemis Racing's AC72 hit San Francisco Bay under sail on Tuesday for the first time, with the team training for over three hours in winds of 8-12 knots. It was a milestone moment for the team who has seen this inaugural test sail delayed first by a damaged wing sail and then by structural issues with the platform during load testing last month. Includes video... [more]
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America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ out of shed after turbo-charging
Richard Gladwell,
America's Cup Challenger, Emirates Team NZ's AC72, is out of the building shed in the Viaduct harbour and went for a brief test sail today, ahead of resuming her development program this week. The enhancements to the AC72 have not been specified are are believed to include the addition of aerofoil fairings to the beams, and other enhancements. See video in this story... [more]
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America's Cup: Luna Rossa trains on the Hauraki Gulf
Sail-World,
The Italian America's Cup Challenger, Luna Rossa was out on the Hauraki Gulf on Friday for what appeared to be a good training session in a light onshore breeze, which later changed to a moderate offshore breeze as she entered the Waitemata Harbour.... [more]
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America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ - getting from side to side
ETNZBlog,
Here's the second part of the interview Sailing World editor Dave Reed had with Emirates Team New Zealand technical director Nick Holroyd. The interview was first published in the October issue of sailing World magazine.... [more]
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America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ's Nick Holroyd on the design process
ETNZBlog,
A few weeks ago, Dave Reed, editor of the US magazine Sailing World, interviewed Emirates Team New Zealand technical director Nick Holroyd. The story offers an interesting insight into the AC72 design process. Part 1 of his report: Emirates Team New Zealand hit the water first and fast. Dave Reed interviews Nick Holroyd who admits: 'It's far more complex than anything I've ever been involved in.... [more]
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America's Cup: Images of the Artemis Racing launch and christening
Sander van der Borsch,
Top international photographer Sander van der Borsch, team photographer for Artemis Racing presents a further gallery of images from the launch and christening of the team's first AC72, launched in San Francisco on November 3, 2012... [more]
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America's Cup: Luna Rossa - Questions from the NZ sailing media
Richard Gladwell,
Last Thursday week, before the launch of Luna Rossa's America's Cup Challenger in Auckland, Team Patron, Patrizio Bertelli, and skipper Max Sirena, held a media conference in the Sofitel for New Zealand media. Most of the key New Zealand sailing media were there. Following is a record of the conference with the general sports media questions stripped out.... [more]
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America's Cup: Vital step for Challenger of Record in San Francisco
Erik Simonson,
The wingsail was installed and Artemis Racing's AC72 was christened today in Alameda, San Francisco. It was a long day for the Artemis team, the Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup, and one which began before dawn. The hull was moved to water's edge in the darkness and loaded via crane slowly as the sun began to rise.... [more]
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Artemis Racing launches first AC72 catamaran
Artemis Racing,
Artemis Racing has now launched its first AC72 catamaran, marking a major milestone in the team's quest for the America's Cup. Thousands of design and build hours came together today when the AC72 was launched at the team's base in Alameda. Barbro Osher, Consul General of Sweden in San Francisco and Godmother of Artemis, christened the AC72 in the presence of the entire team and their families.... [more]
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America's Cup: Luna Rossa foils on Day 1 - with single foil
Richard Gladwell,
Luna Rossa Challenge were able to get their AC72 foiling on their first day of sailing on the Hauraki Gulf on Friday (NZT) It was the first day of sailing for the Italian America's Cup Challenger starting in light winds which slowly increased top around 15 knots.... [more]
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America's Cup: Join Emirates Team NZ for an AC72 aerial photo-shoot
Chris Cameron,
Join Emirates Team NZ photographer Chris Cameron as he jumps in a helicopter, and for the first time, gets a birds eye view of the AC72 ripping around Auckland Hauraki Gulf.... [more]
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America's Cup: Luna Rossa sails for the first time in the Hauraki Gulf
Carlo Borlenghi,
Italian America's Cup Challenger, Luna Rossa, was out sailing on the Hauraki Gulf today - just a week after being launched in Auckland. It was a grey day in Auckland, which started with light winds before the breeze came in to a modest strength - ideal for a first sail.... [more]
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Lock Peyron to sail with Artemis Racing during AC72 training
Jennifer McHugh,
Artemis Racing, Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup, announced today that French multihull legend Lock Peyron will join the Swedish crew during this month's AC72 training. 'It is fantastic to have Lock join Artemis Racing. Lock has no peer when it comes to large multihulls.' said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing.... [more]
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America's Cup: Rod Davis - a day in the AC72 testing life + Video
Rod Davis,
Double Olympic medalist and long time US and NZL America's Cup crew, skipper and coach, Rod Davis provides some answers to a question he's often asked – 'what do you do out there all day?'... [more]
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