America's Cup Update

Featured in Friday's "Who Cares?!!?" post, the America's Cup took place this past weekend, with the BMW Oracle team headed by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison decisively defeating the Swiss boat Alinghi.

A number of things impress me here.  First, apparently the Oracle boat is powered by not a sail of cloth but more of an airplane wing setup (it's actually more than twice the size of a Boeing 747 wing).  While incredibly expensive, it is more consistent and maneuverable than a typical sail - like the one Alinghi was using.

The huge mast is airplane-like.

The wing helped the boat reach speeds of over 46 mph.  It is worth noting, however, that even though the wing was an expensive part of the boat, both BMW Oracle and Alinghi are rumored to have spent about $200 million each to win/defend the Cup.  

Second, pay attention to the guy steering the boat at the helm, he's all the way out on the side, to get a better viewing angle.  Not only is that location a bit atypical for an America's Cup boat, but apparently the skipper also wears specially-designed sunglasses, developed by the defense industry, that display electronic readings for a wealth of critical sailing data, gathered by the boat's onboard computer and over 150 sensors.  Third, this trophy is a lot bigger than I originally thought.

Ellison, third from left, celebrates with his team, 

including the skipper he hired away from the Alinghi team

that defeated him in 2003. 

In the end, the concern seems to be that technology has now come to dominant the sport, leaving many in the media to wonder if the future of sailboat will see more multi-hull boats and airplane wings.  The president of U.S. sailing, Gary Jobson, recently criticized the technological approach - albeit with an outdated reference - on NPR earlier this month: "This is not a tactician's race.  This is Buck Rogers."  Those sentiments were echoed by America's Cup historian Jacques Taglang, who had chronicled the boats used since the first competition in 1851.  In a recent interview, Taglang said, "Ellison has taken the America's Cup into the third millennium.  It may never be the same again."

The debate will rage on, but it only adds to the intrigue of this year's peculiar race, the first to feature two multi-hull boats and a challenge race format.  Typically, the America's Cup is a full regatta - as seen below in the 32nd edition of the Cup - with numerous boats as entries in a playoff-type competition.

For the first time since 1988, multiple teams 

were not permitted to race for the America's Cup.

Further, this year's Cup marked only the second time that multi-hull boats (Alinghi was a catamaran and the BMW Oracle a tri-hull) were used in competition.  Monohull boats can typically only reach speeds of 12-18 mph, as opposed to speeds of 30-50 mph for these two technological behemoths.

Alinghi's catamaran was no match for BMW Oracle.

Looking forward, under the rules of the Cup, the winners get to decide the terms for the next race - the boats, the invited partipant(s), and the location.  More than a few are hoping for a full playoff-style regatta where the monohull returns.  And while Ellison has been coy, thus far, on announcing some of the plans and the rules for the 34th America's Cup (the multi-team format will return), BMW Oracle's chief executive Russell Coutts has all but assured the monohulls will be back.