Hamilton, Bermuda — The 35th America’s Cup, fuelled by technology drawn from the world of aerospace, is pushing sailing beyond the bounds of the sea. "It’s the first America’s Cup in which you have to reinvent a way to sail," says Laurent Chatillon, the Airbus engineer who has been working for two years in Bermuda with Oracle Team USA, who will launch the final phase of their quest for a third straight America’s Cup on Saturday. "These boats are flying," he says. "It’s really the third dimension." The 50-foot America’s Cup twin-hulled catamarans would be unrecognisable not only to the sailors of the first America’s Cup in 1851, but to those competing 15 years ago. Gone are the canvas sails, replaced by the towering carbon fibre fixed-wing sail. The grinders, built like rugby players, no longer crank winches to trim traditional sails but to produce the hydraulic energy necessary to operate the boat. In some cases, they are using cycle-style pedals to do it, rather than arm-powered wi...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.