Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My

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windlord
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Joined: 02/07/2002 - 10:05
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Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My

The only thing missing is "mechanical doping".

The America’s Cup has never seen anything like this. When Emirates Team New Zealand’s 50-foot catamaran speeds around Bermuda’s Great Sound, four of the six crewmen are hunched over, furiously pedaling away. That’s right, pedaling. On a sailboat.

When the red-and-black catamaran turns, the “cyclors” unclip from their cycling pedestals in one hull, dash across the trampoline netting stretched across the boat and clip into the cycling pedestals in the other hull, and continue pedaling away.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/team-new-zealand-may-have-a-leg-up-in-americas-cup-thanks-to-cyclors/2017/06/22/64e73ea6-56c1-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html?utm_term=.8b3fb2fe7e73

Bill Herderich

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Re: Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My

I fell down a rabbit hole of AC youtube videos one night recently and meant to post a few here. Using leg power was a breakthrough from a two aspects: more muscle and more aero - the wind across the decks of these boats can be 50+ mph. Their pedalling charges/pressurizes the hydraulic system which is then used as needed to raise/lower/trim foils and trim sails.

NZ was, iirc, the first boat to sail a complete course without touching down, ie 100% on the foils even in tacks and jibes. The more time they spend on the foils, the faster they are, like kitefoiling or windfoiling.

In NZ, the AC is front page sports news where it's followed daily. I think we'd follow it more if the Cup were named after us. Wait....
{I know, technically, the Cup is named after the yacht, America. )

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Re: Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My

Lots of talk about this after the whuppin' Oracle took on the first 4 races last weekend... another advantage is that pedaling frees your hands for other stuff. One NZ crew is the designated foil trimmer so that skipper, Peter Burling, can focus on driving the boat and tactics. Jimmie Spithill, helm on Oracle, has to do that via twist-grip on his wheel pretty much constantly. But unlike 26 y.o. Burling who makes all the racing decisions, Spithill has an onboard tactician in his ear making those calls. Forecast for this weekend in Bermuda is for light wind again, so most think unless Oracle can find a new gear for light wind, it's over. NZ win would be well deserved– masters of innovation and determination. Plus, just about every person in NZ will be watching the coverage. It's on at 1 p.m. EDT on NBC.

Cool drone work on this video of Oracle out training (must have faceplant):

https://www.facebook.com/OracleTeamUSA/videos/1374329872604055/?pnref=story

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Re: Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My
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Re: Cycling, Sailing, & Foiling, Oh My

The comeback kids: How Team New Zealand won the America's Cup http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11884457

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