Watch Race One highlights from the 33rd America's Cup as the wingsailed trimaran of the challenger, BMW ORACLE Racing, takes on the powerful catamaran of Alinghi, the Defender.
There was no way on earth that Alinghi was going to win this race. I wish the AC would go back to monohaul boats and have them all of the same make/manufacture so that teams can customize sails and crew only
@IchiCrack This is a little brash - one of the primary advantages this boat enjoyed was through the design of the rigid wing sail, through work with Scaled-Composites (in which many of the engineers from the 1988 America's cup wing sail had worked on). Beyond that, it's a trimeran - big deal. Yes it's beautiful and technologically incredible, but with computers I don't think "we needed the French" to win this race; they simply decided to have an experienced multihull firm (VPLP) draw it up.
@oceanplanet602 I understand your frustration, but you've gotta look at it from a different perspective. If you're putting a team together that is going to represent your pride in your home country - and you know you'll have everyone counting on you.. when it comes time to sink millions into R&D and construction of your boat, are you going to ditch the best design for something "elegant and classic" knowing full well you'll get smoked on international TV; going down in recordbooks as a loser?
Somehow I think we are all going to get through this. Boats again will feel like they came from our own backyards. Things can only go forward from this point. I am not worried. The technology in these boats came from everywhere. I think of football, which is I believe has gone through this same dilema. And look at the superbowls of recent and I see a surviving sport.
BMWO was going to win races with or without WingSail. The Swiss are just lucky the wind wasn't stronger, then it would have been a lot worse. We will never truely know what those boats could have done. these light wind races are cool but not enough.
amazing boats.
lovelplants 2 weeks ago
There was no way on earth that Alinghi was going to win this race. I wish the AC would go back to monohaul boats and have them all of the same make/manufacture so that teams can customize sails and crew only
blackt0wer 8 months ago
i was there in Valencia ;-) i became really happy when Oracle beated Alinghi!!! Bertarelli you got what you deserved!!!
sennalaleyenda 9 months ago
@IchiCrack This is a little brash - one of the primary advantages this boat enjoyed was through the design of the rigid wing sail, through work with Scaled-Composites (in which many of the engineers from the 1988 America's cup wing sail had worked on). Beyond that, it's a trimeran - big deal. Yes it's beautiful and technologically incredible, but with computers I don't think "we needed the French" to win this race; they simply decided to have an experienced multihull firm (VPLP) draw it up.
EstorilEm 10 months ago
@oceanplanet602 I understand your frustration, but you've gotta look at it from a different perspective. If you're putting a team together that is going to represent your pride in your home country - and you know you'll have everyone counting on you.. when it comes time to sink millions into R&D and construction of your boat, are you going to ditch the best design for something "elegant and classic" knowing full well you'll get smoked on international TV; going down in recordbooks as a loser?
EstorilEm 10 months ago
@SuperLouis555 WTF are you talking about
Aire26 10 months ago
Somehow I think we are all going to get through this. Boats again will feel like they came from our own backyards. Things can only go forward from this point. I am not worried. The technology in these boats came from everywhere. I think of football, which is I believe has gone through this same dilema. And look at the superbowls of recent and I see a surviving sport.
SuperLouis555 1 year ago
BMWO was going to win races with or without WingSail. The Swiss are just lucky the wind wasn't stronger, then it would have been a lot worse. We will never truely know what those boats could have done. these light wind races are cool but not enough.
dlawson688 1 year ago
@IchiCrack you are correct! and as an American, I kinda feel like we didn't win it either!
dlawson688 1 year ago
This is hardly a win for the Americans. USA-17 is French designed and the crew seems to be Aussie/Kiwi, am I right?
IchiCrack 1 year ago