Manfred

No, not a slow bear away with these boats. Way too much mainsail at the Top. Classic sheathing out is impossible. I am sure Dean knew that he had to bear away as quick as possible to get rid of the damn aerodynamic on the big square head main. Am still trying to figure out what exactly makes the boat rise so high. Couldn’t be the Airbus sticker.

You can read it in #11878, that someone heart someone to say, the FCS batterie dropped through the hull... If not „fake news“ this could be a good reason. On impact, these things can fly if not sealed bomb proof.

What does he want to tell us with the painting in the ocean... It does not look like a heart, this American dude did some years ago, hanging around with the young woman and growing weed and sprouts.

So the wheels don t fall off. Got advised by their F1 connection.

Hah, from the video above you can see a small part of their problem. Watch their manoeuvres and you see that the boat is mostly heeled to leeward (a bit), compared to ETNZ who quickly after the tacks or jibes are heeling their boat to windward as this is the style of 49er and Moth sailors. And I assume must be efficient with the AC75s. I found this so difficult to look up to my feet, heeling the Moth to windward, as I used to sail different boats. Boats which liked leeward heel to reduce the wetted surface. And it is difficult even for someone with all the gold around his neck due to simple muscle memory. I had written my opinion about sailing style and fine tuning of rudder horizontal compared to main foil horizontal somewhere upstairs and i do hope that, as said before, they had a beer with Goodi at a bar hided away from the SA informants and other spies.

In my opinion the answer is given in Post # 5410 from our Italian friends who are describing a big portion of the problem. Difficult for me to explain in short but I had been there with my Moth sailing and a real expert brought wonders to my boat, working hard on the set up and tuning both centerboard foil and rudderfoil to work in harmony. Before either one was creating drag when trying to race the boat by constantly working on the adjustments. After the boat had been given back to me, it all felt light and easy going. It is an all new technique even for the very best and I think they should have employed Goodison.

Many thanks for these very interesting pieces. It is not only the communication which I find very interesting and educational. You are right on the money: It is the importance of the mainsail control (led) by the best possible crewmember for the job. I think this will be their first item to improve on. My opinion about the Frackers is that they are not 100% up to speed about real apparent wind sailing. Not enough practice with the AC75 and probably not foiling Moths enough. Also the big surface of the foils might be hindering the speed whilst coming up during the manoeuvres. Could also be a reason that the system gets tired. Imagine some smallest pieces of dirt in the hydraulic oil and there you are. FCS overloaded. But than, what do I know?

Not mine! I had the luck to witness his team before the last cup during a training session with the AC45 in Sweden (Saltsjöbaden) and I made my prediction to my sailing friends and it all came true. The team was separated. I had been in the same breakfast room. Could hear the rubbish. I felt for Nathan, who came in late to the session. Knowing him a bit from Moth sailing. Did not see a happy chap. Great management is different from being a great sailor, though it helps to know about the business and how to work with people. Oh, on another note: Seeing the „Rita“ crew at work, I could not see a horizontal management structure on the boat. It looked like the grinders were slaves and the master (s) at the end of the row calling for more... whatever. Of course wishful thinking over Christmas is that they get their act together and do not deliver as happened. It hurts so much seeing them dropping from the foils and „low riding“. Been there a lot, had to make such decision quite often to short cut the loss and to go straight down at the mark instead of loosing more places by going back up „into the wind“ to start foiling again and than, mess up with the next jibe. For me that had shown, that they are not fully in the game. They are not sailing their „A“ game. Any average Moth sailor or DN racer could feel the pain, even in front of the YT feed.

Looking sideways makes your going sideways...mentally

Of course, the music on the YT feed, which seems to be the original coverage with lots of camera views, with Ken, Nathan and Shirley is often overlaid with bloody music during the interviews. NOT during the race coverage. I must say, they are doing a great job presenting the races etc. Watching AM Cp races since the final race in Newport 1983, which had been streamed via a blimp in the air. All you guys out there complaining that the "show" is not to be seen or not being transmitted in your country, get yourself a VPN, like Express VPN. It is worth the moonies and you will get the best coverage possible, this cycle.

Yes, and a very straight course. Very unusual.

What do you guys expect? It had all been there this „morning“ on YT. Great quality picture on the Apple TV, good commentary though I think KR is a bit over doing. The time to start Box abt. 2:50 to abt. 3:2 min and it is enough when the first boat is only allowed to enter at 2:10. GD is not to blame about the Brits not having their act together and two races being boring. How come the best sailor in the world gets penalties in both his races? Maybe the boat did not do, what the helmsman wanted it to do? I just could not believe what I saw. Last race gave hope for some great action and this not only because I had always been a fan of DB. Wish the Kiwis to win but DB polishing his image against the redhead.

All this bitching about the BOSS. I mean they had a handful of problems with the court case (regarding the >>useless foil<<) which they lost a couple days ago. I understand that it had been a costly court case and AT lost big time. For the ones interested in the legal stuff: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2020/3334.html

...and after they had seen L´Occitane they knew they were on the wrong path. Same as in the AC with GF, designing for Il Moro, after he had seen the canoe bodied A3 compared to his „aircraft carrier type hulls. (5)

I have not seen a second rudder blade on some of the vids of Alex riding „home“ to Capetown. I remember the mostly upright boat and only one blade to be seen. With that dominant color code it should have been visible. My theory is, there are lawyers in the room. Speculations here have often gone havoc and thus to be avoided. Sponsors walked away immediately. The new BOSS foul weather collection will be dumped.