New America's Cup boats

[dhays]

I think we may be seeing the past through compass rose colored glasses..... The America's cup has ALWAYS been a rich man's contest fought by lawyers and skippers hired by business tycoons. Lipton, Vanderbuilt, Turner, Bond.....none of these guys has ever unwillingly suffered a blister or a callous. Telescoping masts, exotic metals, revolutionary keels,arguments about waterline length vs overall length.....and this is over 100 years ago!!! You want pure sport, untainted by wealth ? Where is this Utopia ?

All true. You can find unadulterated sailing competitions in almost any yacht club in their one design races. You want a real test of sailing skill? Watch sailing dinghies race. Anything above that and it starts to become as much a test of wallets as a test of skill.

 

[koliver]

All true. You can find unadulterated sailing competitions in almost any yacht club in their one design races. You want a real test of sailing skill? Watch sailing dinghies race. Anything above that and it starts to become as much a test of wallets as a test of skill.

Reality check time

I am a member of SPOG Scott Point Old Guys
Old Guys in Old Boats
Motto: The Older I get The Better I Was
We race Lasers. We have 23 Lasers on site at the Scott Point RVYC outstation. Some events get most of them out on the water.
Rules:
over 50: Some members are still in their 50s, though most only wish it were so.
Old boats: All of our boats are old. Mine is 1978, it is typical.
Lasers, or something Laser sailors will allow: OK we allowed 2 Lightnings this year for the first time. They are both Very Old. They are suitable for old guys who can't bend to duck under the Laser boom.

We have 4 events a year.
June: Round the Islands; if the tides permit, otherwise, we can substitute a moored boat as an added Island.
July: Moby's: extra handicaps for consumption of Guiness at lunch.
August: Long Harbour Classic; 2 days of round the marks close racing. Some years we actually get to sail 5 races.
October: Doug Baxter Memorial Closer: one day of round the marks. We remember a lost member.

No membership fees
No race registration fees
No fees of any kind
Most of us would sell our boats if offered more than $400. No worries, such a ridiculously high offer will never happen.
Some will endure the ridicule from others when they buy a new sail. I know, as I did so. $200 for a sail that actually has shape!

It is all about having a great time doing something we love.

 

[FlyWright]

In the interest of self-awareness, a bunch of trawler guys sitting at keyboards and opining on the cutting edge of ‘real’ sailing is pretty funny. Just sayin.

Hey, I resemble that remark! But, I gotta add, my sailboat buddies are a wee bit jealous of my cruise speed, comfort, weather protection, visibility, ease of single-handing and accommodations. What's not to like?

 

[dhays]

Reality check time



I am a member of SPOG Scott Point Old Guys

Old Guys in Old Boats

Motto: The Older I get The Better I Was

We race Lasers. We have 23 Lasers on site at the Scott Point RVYC outstation. Some events get most of them out on the water.

That sounds great Keith. Well, until I think about my knees and back... I raced Lasers for a while. Wonderful boats.

 

[Peter B]

Speaking for myself, I loved the last AC, especially the way those boats appeared to defy the laws of physics - although clearly they didn't. The fact that they appear to though, is half the appeal, surely. However, I am pleased they are returning to monohulls, but again, they will appear to defy the laws of physics - perhaps even more than the cats. I'm sure if they went back to slow, fully immersed monohulls, limited to hull speed, the interest would drop off so fast the sport would disappear off the radar completely, I suspect.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

On the water!



https://youtu.be/E0gb0Lb2gzM

 

[FF]

"But I'd be OK with bringing back the J class for a series."

You bet , most folks I know have no desire to own a race boat , but Eye Candy is always great to watch.

For mano a mano bring back the old sand baggers but use the Bermuda rules , the final leg is downwind and all but the helmsman jump overboard to lighten the boat.

 

[Stickman]

Yes, the AC boats are the big show- but there were other classes racing at the same venue throughout the month. These ranged from smaller less expensive AC boats, to J boat series, to juniors and dingys. Those that were drawn to the big money boats could also watch and support other classes, as well as the next generations of sailors.

The big money gets to develop and push the envelope on technology and design, some of which trickles down to the rest of us sailors and boaters.

Foil boats also allow the races to be held in shallower water, closer to the fans. Deep draft monohulls were typically raced well offshore, televised by helicopters, not easily viewed directly by many fans.

 

[psneeld]

Like the theme from the movie "The Right Stuff"...

The money goes where Buck Rogers is.... Not to the old timers reinventing last year's model.

But the same argument holds for all sports, the Olympics is not the same as when I was young.

 

[FF]

"What's not to like?"


Noise underway , frequent noise at anchor. Exhaust stench.

 

[Benthic2]

This will be exciting to watch....I wish I didn't have to wait 2 years so see it.

 

[FF]

"I get that the Americas Cup is trying to advance sailing technology however with the high tech boats they use, is it really true sailing?"

When we were sailing I enjoyed 2 speed winches with ball bearings , instead of bushings.

My 100lb bride enjoyed them too cranking in the big Yankee.

 

[firstbase]

The 20 minute races get to me. Miss the old days when one of them lived a slow death for an hour or two followed by unexpected wind shifts, tacking duels, small mistakes, large mistakes, etc. You know, sailing. Yes, class racing is out there for this type of action but...it's not the America's Cup. Sort of like watching the Triple A National Championship in baseball. Close. no cigar. I'm old. Don't like change.