36th America’s Cup in Auckland New Zealand

Tomorrow starts the 36th America’s Cup. The race is heralded as the oldest trophy in international sport, predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years.

Emirates Team New Zealand is the current defender and has held the trophy a total of 4 times, tomorrow begins a chance to win the trophy for a 5th time.

The challenger, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, is on track to take America’s Cup home to Italy. The Italians will need to muster all their skills to defeat the New Zealand team.

13 races are scheduled over a 7-day time frame, the first team to win 7 races is declared the winner and will take the trophy home for 4 years and host the 37th America’s Cup in 2025.

2021 36th America’s Cup Race Schedule

March 9thMarch 11thMarch 12thMarch 13thMarch 14thMarch 15thMarch 16th
Race 1Race 3Race 5Race 7Race 9Race 11Race 13
Race 2Race 4Race 6Race 8Race 10Race 12

AC75 Monohull Flying Sailboat

The new AC75 monohull marked the beginning of a new sailing era. The engineering and sailing techniques needed to get the AC75 to fly are completely different from anything seen before.

“These boats were only a concept three years ago, and now they are exceeding everyone’s expectations of what they can do, and how fast they can go around a race track.”

The AC75 is 75-feet long and 16-feet wide and extremely light, which is needed to get the sailboat to fly. The AC75 relys on Foil Cant Arms that will move under, or outside, the boat to provide the leverage it needs to stay upright and lift out of the water.

Some parts of the boat are mandated by the AC75 Class Rule, the mast, rigging, foil-cant arms, and their hydraulics are all stock components. But, the hull shape and other areas can be unique and designers are free to experiment with to find a race-winning edge.

Another evolution in this America’s Cup is the twin-skin mainsail. The double-sail skins combine with the spar to form a wing, generating the power the AC75 needs to foil.

Ships Captain The Dread Pirate Dave

David is the Editor in Chief of Postcards From the Edge. I was born on a cold November morning on the showy plains of Colorado. Like my father, before me, I am an American Nomad.

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