When I saw the specifications and ballast of the new AC75 America's Cup monohull I had some doubts on whether a boat with those specifications would be able to right itself up but dismissed the doubts thinking that those guys knew what they are doing.
Well, maybe they do but racing the America's Cup with a 75ft monohull that tips like a dinghy and stays capsized unable to right itself up doesn't seem to me to make any sense. Why have they changed from the Catamarans?
They changed because they wanted to be .... er....
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons they changed, probably the main, it is because the America's cup cats proved to be dangerous, with one casualty, and it could easily be more.
DeleteWhen the cats capsized sailors fell from a considerable height, sometimes against the hulls and there was the risk of pitchpoling that could even be more dangerous.
These monohulls, according with the boat program, should be able to re-right themselves and that's why this case is important. Obviously they need more ballast on the foils to be able to do that in racing configuration.
They have said regarding the choice of this concept: "The AC75 combines extremely high-performance sailing and great match racing with the safety of a boat that can right itself in the event of a capsize. "
https://www.americascup.com/en/news/14_THE-AMERICA-S-CUP-CLASS-AC75-BOAT-CONCEPT-REVEALED.html?fbclid=IwAR3cVjsKiL-ynOoddYDbKvI1iY1XmLpTZSscwGh1unAURf70izX39PG8i9k