A lot of time has passed since the capsize of Oracle Team USA last October. While the competition from Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa and Artemis used the past few weeks for testing, Larry Ellison's boat builders have been working in shifts in the secret bunker at Pier 80. They sawed, sanded and pasted to get the "17" fit again, the boat that overturned and disintegrated so spectacularly on the then extremely windy bay. Now the racer is back in one piece and back on the water. "Better than new", says the team. And noticeably different.
The story of the capsizing of USA 17
It is no longer steered by tiller, but by wheel. The fairing at the front has grown quite a bit, and the centreboards are also completely new. And of course wing number 2, because the first one was really just high-tech scrap after the rollover. And the vehicle should now also be stiffer. "The twist in the platform was a concession to the weight and wind resistance of the structure," explains Team Manager Grant Simmer. "This compromise still exists, but we have made subtle changes that will reduce this twist."
The resolution now is: caution, caution, caution, until the new old vehicle is fully in trim. Only then can Jimmy Spithill and his colleagues go full throttle again. The start was made yesterday, after extensive load tests had already taken place. And Poseidon was lenient: He only sent light winds, as you can get in winter on San Francisco Bay.
Oracle's second AC72 is due to be launched in the spring.
