Dear readers,
2013 was the first year in which a America's Cupper Since then, the battle for the oldest sporting trophy has never again taken place with permanent water contact. Instead, the racing yachts flew more and more, more controlled and faster. There is no longer any trace of the elegant, classic lines from the early days of what is probably the most famous sailing regatta. It is now difficult to judge whether aero or hydrodynamic factors play a more important role in the design.
And at the latest since the last edition off Auckland, where futuristic-looking foiling monohulls were used for the first time and races with almost 100 per cent flytime were no longer a rarity, it is no longer just recreational captains who are asking themselves: Is this still sailing at all?
The Duden dictionary uses the word "sail" to mean "to move forwards with the help of a sail (and the force of the wind)". A sailing yacht is one that is "equipped with mast(s) and sails and is propelled by the force of the wind", which undoubtedly also applies to every foiler. The medium of water, which many people use to deny America's Cups and other foilers their existence as sailing yachts, does not seem to play a role at all.
Whether you are satisfied with this answer is up to you. If you don't, you should perhaps take a closer look at the history of the event.
In addition to sweeping statements about how unnecessary and ugly the foilers are, the "everything used to be better" faction is also strongly represented in the context of the America's Cup. With such a long tradition of the competition, it's no wonder, you might think. However, anyone who only minimally familiarises themselves with the history and organisation of the prestigious regatta will probably reconsider their desire for a return to "real boats".
From the first edition in 1851, when the yacht "America" arrived in British waters with its hull shape that was later considered revolutionary, to the famous wing keel of the "Australia II" in 1983, to wing sails and foils in the more recent past, innovation has always been at the forefront of the America's Cup.
This basis is also often ignored and used as a second argument in favour of the comeback of lead carriers or J-Class-It has been argued that racing with foils is fundamentally boring and not tactical. How exciting regatta sailing is in any form is of course a matter of taste. In my opinion, however, the tactical basis of the America's Cup has not changed over time.
It's simple: only when the design teams have worked on an equal footing does it really come into its own. If a team is miles ahead, the races are decided by a few simple moves or the opponents have no chance at all. This used to be the case and was also the case in the last 36th edition, when the New Zealanders were unstoppable.
So the exciting phase for fans is already in full swing, around six months before the first launch. This week, Alinghi's "BoatOne" and Team Newzealand's new edition of "Te Rehutai" have already been unveiled as two of six exciting designs, with the Italians from Luna Rossa set to follow today.
Nobody knows yet whether one of the teams will once again be a quantum leap ahead. However, the 37th America's Cup off Barcelona will also see the AC40-One-Design-Foiler (for the Youth and Women's America's Cup) for use. These have two pre-regattas has already shown how exciting the races, some of which are also sailed in fleet race mode, can be. At least when the same "weapons" are used.
For my part, I prefer races with a little less tactics but speeds of up to 50 knots to hours of bumbling along full of tactical finesse. I'm probably not alone in this, as the last America's Cup, so often labelled as boring, was the most successful ever in media terms, according to an evaluation by the organisers.
And I'm not the only one looking forward to the Cup in the autumn of this yearwhich will probably be even more successful and spectacular. On the other hand, the idea of a comeback of lead boats, mind you at the summit of international sailing with relatively huge spectator interest, really makes me shudder. And if you are still looking for this type of racing, you can still find it today: alongside classes such as the Starboat or the TP52 at top international level, with the Ilca (formerly Laser) even in the Olympic programme. I don't doubt that these competitions are exciting and have their justification. It's just that they would be too old school for the America's Cup in 2024!
Max Gasser,
YACHT Volunteer Digital
PS: If you are interested in foiling and would like to take off yourself, you should definitely listen to our new podcast episode: The fascination of foiling for beginners!
Newsletter: YACHT-Woche
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Newsletter: YACHT-Woche
Der Yacht Newsletter fasst die wichtigsten Themen der Woche zusammen, alle Top-Themen kompakt und direkt in deiner Mail-Box. Einfach anmelden: