The America's Cup

The America's Cup trophy is one of the oldest in sport going back to 1851 when the schooner AMERICA defeated the best that Britain had to offer in ocean races off the south coast of England. For the next 150+ years these races were contested with mono-hull boats with canvas sails and the ingenuity of the best deep water sailors - the most recent being 12 meter class.  Boat designs kept changing and competitors would shroud their keels with canvas covering when out of the water to keep from prying eyes.  But something changed in the last few years.  Wealthy boat owners are pushing the envelope for more speed. They have introduced multi-hull boats i.e. catamarans and replaced canvas sails with tall kevlar wing sails. These multi-million dollar racing machines are capable of speeds to 40 knots. They have introduced a term called "foiling" wherein both hulls are out of the water using hydrofoils attached to "daggerboards". I thought foiling was a fencing term.
With the rush to speed comes increased risk to safety. Last week, during a practice drill on San Francisco Bay, one of these "cats" flipped over and there was a fatality - an experienced sailor lost his life.  There is no doubt that these boats create a spectator attraction as they speed downwind with their colorful spinnakers billowing. Myself, as a weekend sailor, I was perfectly content to cut engines and glide in silence at 5 knots. The races resume in early July on the Bay and there is a certain soul searching underway right now in light of last week's tragedy - this was the second boat flipped in six months. Stay tuned.
tjs
Next - TBA
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/sports/new-technology-and-risks-enter-americas-cup.html?ref=christopherclarey&_r=0