Apterix

Sorry if this has been posted already - but worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet.

Thanks for the clarification..

I don't buy that the weighted spat theory either. I reckon ETNZ will have hidden a heap of weight in their blended bulb/foil/stock - bit of depleted uranium or tungsten perhaps.

Yes - once they've figured out optimal AoA, foil and flap geometry, and other flight settings by testing different foils against each other, expect to see identical foils mounted port and starboard.

New from JM. Looks like they giving the new port foil a decent workout - bottom mark roundings and bear aways. Also, it seems like they are sailing slightly more bow up with the new port foil, which may indicate different AoAs between port and starboard foils as someone else suggested here.

Nice little reminder that NZ's sailing pedigree goes back a long way. Waka like the one in the background were at the cutting edge of sailing tech 200 years ago and ran rings around Cook's sailing bath tub.

Yes, they do appear to be pretty damn small foils relative to the others. I wonder how much they plan to use their flap allowance (i.e. change flap size) to optimise for different wind conditions. As you say they may also have a more powerful/controllable rig.

It would make a lot of sense to test a new foil against the previous best foil before committing to duplicating it.

Good to see ETNZ back out there and performing well. Also great to see the Brits making a good comeback. It looks like it will be close....

If the like both of their existing foils, but these foils are preferred in different wind ranges they could duplicate each and wait to see what the weather brings before deciding which pair to put on the race boat. Or they could try a new foil and compare it to their existing foils before deciding which of the three options to duplicate. Be interesting to see what approach they take.

Where can you download the data from? I would very much like to see the difference between ETNZ's port and starboard foil.

It sounded like ETNZ had some problem with the traveller in the ETNZ vs AM race, which may explain the speed dips in some of the turns. It would be very interesting to see a VMG plot similar to the boat speed plot above. It would help to determine which tacking approach is preferred - point low and fast out of a tack then head up vs come out of a tack high and slow then build speed. I suspect the differing tacking approaches we see between AM and LR/ETNZ may, in part, be determined in part by the camber depth potential of the main - the boom systems seem flatter down low and may not be as powerful at lower speeds. I have also been wondering whether a flatter main may explain AM's speed edge downwind.

I thought GBR looked okay in a straight line and Mr Ainslie is always damn good in the starting box, but as shown in the GBR vs ETNZ fig turning speed x number of turns killed GBR in the last race against ETNZ.

I do like the Hutchinson + Barker combo - a little timid around tight corners and during close encounters, but good humble guys that evidently work very well together. AM looks polished and if they find a notch more speed around the track will be a strong challenger.

Probably not, but a camera on the top of the mast ought to give you a much better idea of where the wind is that an obscured view from the cockpit. May not be allowed of course - not sure about that one.

That makes sense.

Also, what do you reckon the holes/see through patches in luff of LR and ETNZ jibs are for? There are 3 on the LR jib and 1 on the ETNZ jib.

The LR and ETNZ sail plans look much more evenly matched in this race that the one earlier in the week. A reason for more even match up perhaps?

Agreed - Thanks Weta.

Whether you win or lose this bet Stingray, I reckon any team that develops a smug view that they're comfortably ahead is screwed.

Apologies if this has already been posted - some of the nicest footage I've seen yet. LR is doing a hell of a lot of sandbagging .

There's an awful lot of premature celebration going on, and a lot of water to pass under the bridge yet. There were early celebrations in San Francisco too and we all know how that turned out. Thankfully ETNZ will not be celebrating, but will be solely focused on making their boat go faster - they're going to need to.

I mean exchange within the 20% mass allowance...

Maybe not, but could they exchange the foil flaps, foil tips or other foil fairings to change the foils flight/drag characteristics for lighter or heavier winds? I can't see anything in the rule that would prohibit this, but I may be missing something. Thoughts anyone.......