If there is one certainty for the next Americas Cup, it’s that it will be the most revolutionary event the sailing world has ever seen. Yet instead of anticipation, there is almost universal disdain for the choice of wing masted multihulls. A recent Sail World survey found that 67% of racing sailors would prefer to see the next Americas Cup sailed in monohulls. The common excuse for this disdain has largely been publicly voiced as a lack of good competition, but I think if we look a little further, we’ll find the real cause is keelboatitis.
For starters, let’s look at the contentions concerning quality issues and try to debunk some myths. The most common myth is that the multihulls will not be evenly matched, and BMW Oracle already has a significant design advantage. In an attempt to help challenging teams get up to speed; BMW Oracle has commissioned the design of 45-foot wing masted cats that will begin hitting the water this December, with racing commencing in the 2011 Americas Cup World Series. These yachts are designed by the BMW Oracle design team, including Dirk Kramers and Scott Ferguson, with the final design being given to the independent Americas Cup Race Management authority. While this should be seen as a noble gesture intended to foster development of the skills needed to design and race yachts like this; many say it’s simply an excuse for BMW Oracle to start designing their defender in advance of the challengers. Where does this argument fit in reality? The simple fact of the matter is that only two large wing masted multihulls have ever been built, and the last large catamaran was designed in 1987. Those with the most recent experience in building large winged multihulls are designing the AC 45, the tooling is being built to allow multiple builders produce the boats, and the engineering details are being made available to any challenging team. While BMW Oracle may gain some design insight from this process, if their motive was to defend the Cup “at any cost”, why would they provide design and build support to other teams?
When we look at the larger AC 72 rule, it is important to remember that US Sailing, with Morreli and Melvin as principal designers, independently drafted the rule. The rule was then made public, (you can view draft 2.0 here:http://www.americasc...+RULE+2.0+Draft), and all teams have the ability to make comment on the new rule. Further, designers for hulls, wings, and structures may be shared until April 1, 2012 (AC34 Protocol, Sec 33.1). Teams and designers can collaborate with anyone, including the defender. Let’s hope teams take advantage of this resource while it’s available to them to increase everyone’s design knowledge. This is the most open set of design rules in the modern Americas Cup era, and it should lead to teams being closer in terms of performance than any other class launch. It is also critical to remember that had a new monohull class rule been approved, there would be no guarantee of evenly matched yachts, or design collaboration. In 1992, the first Americas Cup event in IACC yachts, there was a wide disparity between yachts. Only after 15 years of refinement did the class get to the close racing seen during AC 32. Finally, word has it that Emirates Team New Zealand has hired Morreli and Melvin as designers, and Steve Killing and Magnus Clarke from C-Class fame to design wings. That should make for at least one fast challenger right out of the blocks.
John Cox Stevens brought the yacht America to Cowes in 1851 to demonstrate the best of American yacht building. The AC72 yachts will once again demonstrate the best of yacht building. And if you still don’t believe multihulls can be great racing machines, watch the highlights from the Extreme Sailing Series.
So, from a rule and design standpoint, there’s no reason to believe the next Americas Cup will be any less competitive than an event held in monohulls. So where does this overall multihull disdain come from? I think it’s a symptom of keelboatitis. Keelboatitis is the disease of sailing slow, lead filled sailboats. It’s an all too common disease for most North American sailors. For too many of us, multihull or high performance dinghy sailing is something we only see in magazines and You Tube clips. We can’t relate to it, and if we can’t relate to it, we become fearful of it. Most racing sailors would love to sail in the Americas Cup. When the event was in monohulls, that dream was more real. Now, with high tech, high performance yachts, we can’t lull ourselves to sleep dreaming of Cup glory because our skills are no longer good enough.
Now is the time to expand your sailing horizons. Go find a multihull or a small dinghy to sail. There is a 505 or International 14, or Hobie 16 in most boat parks. Go meet the owners and take a ride. Yes, you’ll need to learn some new skills, and you’ll find those skills will make you a better keelboat sailor. You may also find something re-awaken in you. That feeling of adrenaline rushing through your veins as you take off on a screaming reach; that feeling you had when you first began to master sail can be yours again! In other parts of the world, boat parks are filled with small, high performance boats. This is our opportunity to catch up. In addition, small high performance dinghies cost much less than keelboats, require fewer crew, and will attract a younger demographic to your yacht club.
North American sailors, this is your wake up call. The next Americas Cup will change the sport forever. Get out of your bubble and experience lead free sailing!
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