Wife just saw on news that the Cup will be returning to mono-hulls! Hell Yeah!
Now I know I'm showing my age here (just a bit!) but having these fine yachts racing in NZ conditions for me at least would be spectacular!!!. Now there's some fine skill there!!
"AMERICA" winner 1851-First Cup
Cheers Steve
"Showing your age"? How old were you in the 1850's?
It looks like there will also be a nationality requirement as well. That might help generate more fan support as countries can "root for their own".
What happens to the boats that were used in the last race i wonder ? So expensive to have a lifespan measured in weeks.
Yaaa someone that knows what a Star is. My dad's first big boat was a wooden Star.. sailed her on Lake Champlain. Sold her and bought a Lippincott star that had an Olympic Gold Star on her mainsail. I learned my sailing skills on a Sunfish, then the Stars. They are beautiful boatsFor the record, I'm a fan of all kinds of sports. And I love racing "traditional" sailboats. I think the old Stars - a long time Olympic boat that is incredibly hard to sail - were absolutely beautiful but their time has come and gone. They got passed up by newer designs. I get it, but I do miss them.
I've done a lot of racing on old and new boats. But this is the technology age and every sport has its "R & D" division. The Americas Cup, the Vendee, the Volvo Challenge...they are the proving grounds for new sailboat technology. The boats and crews often get pushed to their limits. That's partly a good thing because it means that we, as humans, are using our brains as (I believe) our Creator intended. Wing keels, low stretch ropes, better instruments, even human-generated power systems, are all advanced - if not developed - through racing these leading-edge boats.
This isn't unique to sailing. Compared to 50 years ago, golf equipment is far better today, football helmets are safer, top fuel dragster tires can handle 300+ mph, on and on. Meanwhile every one of those sports have become more popular to the masses.
My great uncle, Ray Harroun, won the first Indianapolis 500. He averaged about 75 mph. His technical contribution was using a rear view mirror for the first time on a race car. But think of the advances in that sport! An F1 engine...just the engine...costs $8 million. The Red Bull F1 team spends $320 million per year. So it's a good thing a lot of fans watch F1 and the ads that come with it. Same with the AC. The tech is a big part of why it has gotten so popular, which indirectly pays the bills, which allows more R&D. The Cup has become interesting to non-sailors who can't be expected to know much about racing tactics. But they like the excitement. That's good for the sport and we all benefit when that technology gets translated into pleasure boats.
Maybe the new AC boats aren't 'pretty' and I won't try to convince anyone to like them. Personally I think they're way cool. But pretty or not, they really are a testament to the human mind. Im certain that's what people said about J boats nearly 100 years ago.
Wife just saw on news that the Cup will be returning to mono-hulls! Hell Yeah!
Our Lippincott Star had an aluminum mast that you could bend to help shape the mainsail. The newer dacron sails were not as baggy and easier to trim. The difference between the wooden hull and the fiberglass hull was night and day. Great memories from growing up.Sparks5501 -
Yeah, I've had the "pleasure" of droop-hiking a Star for three races in a row on a windy Saturday. Could be just brutal in the winter. Pretty wild...did you know they were originally gaff-rigged!? I never saw one rigged that way but as a sloop, tacking the huge Main with the small Jib took some getting used to, especially downwind with no spinnaker.
I raced on a couple of Dragons before that class largely died out. I hear they're making a comeback in Dubai...Beautiful.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pinterest.com/amp/pin/218987600601607556/
Then Solings and Etchells came along and a lot of Star sailors moved to them. Then J24's....Johnstone's huge step forward. I raced on that boat for a good while...very big class and crazy talent.
The one boat I always wanted to experience was the Tornado but never got invited. I think I was too light for the trapeze....(not a problem now!)
I got to meet Buddy Melges at the North American Star championships once. And Lowell North (eventually founding North Sails) spoke at the dinner. What can I say? Icons. For me it was like meeting Johnny Bench or Orel Hershiser or somebody like that.
The thing about Stars was to see them at the starting line...all identical, all white hulls, all heeled at exactly the same angle on starboard tack. Thrilling, close-quarters racing.
But jump on a Viper or a J70 today...same feeling but 2-3 times the speed of a
Star...I mean...wow.
https://www.starclass.org/history/star-boat-design-and-development2
Sparks5501 -
Yeah, I've had the "pleasure" of droop-hiking a Star for three races in a row on a windy Saturday. Could be just brutal in the winter. Pretty wild...did you know they were originally gaff-rigged!?
The one boat I always wanted to experience was the Tornado but never got invited. I think I was too light for the trapeze....(not a problem now!)
I got to meet Buddy Melges at the North American Star championships once. And Lowell North (eventually founding North Sails) spoke at the dinner. What can I say? Icons. For me it was like meeting Johnny Bench or Orel Hershiser or somebody like that.
The thing about Stars was to see them at the starting line...all identical, all white hulls, all heeled at exactly the same angle on starboard tack. Thrilling, close-quarters racing.
https://www.starclass.org/history/star-boat-design-and-development2