[QUOTE=Ftrooppilot;1406836]
Originally Posted by
Timbo
. . . As for the guy who died yesterday on the 72 catamaran, yeah, scary stuff! They've got those things foiling now and going about 45 knots!
ORACLE TEAM USA - Fun on Foils - YouTube
IMHO they should go back to 12 Meter Class boats sponsored by syndicates with no advertising allowed on the boats. If they want speed, spectacles and thrills, switch to ice boating. Lets go back to the days of grace, elegance, and sportsmanship in sailing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S5kGHLtIBQ
There has been quite a bit of debate about that on the sailing web boards. Seems watching the 12 meters race was like watching paint dry. And nobody watched live, let alone on TV.
The reason they went to multi hulls was to increase the Speed and the Drama, to try to get more people to watch it on TV.
Many years ago I said what they need to do is run it like a NASCAR race, with lots of bumping and grinding and crashes. Well, they tried that too! Here they are learning how to race cats, on the scaled down 45 foot rigs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZD0vyHbeWE
The money thing was always an issue, that's why the sails are now covered with sponsor logos. And they also relaxed the rule that had said all the sailors on board must be from the "Country of Origin", so now you have Kiwi's driving and crewing the American boats, Britts driving Swiss boats, Aussies are all over every boat, no matter the country. It used to be a battle for national pride, now it's just a bunch of Billionaires blowing money for bragging rights. Heck, Team New Zealand is owned by Emirates!
Do you remember when Ted Turner won the America's Cup? The New York Yacht Club was some kind of Pizzed Off! They didn't like him at all, they called him, "The Mouth of the South."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LitFmNiVEc
The NYYC invited him alone to the Awards Banquet, not his whole crew. He said, "If my boys don't go, I'm not going!" And they didn't, Ted took his crew out drinking and blew off the banquet!