THE TECHNOLOGY
Although foiling feels like a recent revolution to take the world of watersports by storm, it has been at the heart of America’s Cup racing for 10 years.
It was August 2012 when the sailing world was turned upside down by a 72- foot catamaran flying in the Hauraki Gulf. Emirates Team New Zealand had brought foils to the America's Cup, changing the face of top-level yacht racing forever.
Six years later, in 2018, the publication of the AC75 Class Rule marked the beginning of a new sailing era. The engineering and sailing techniques needed to get the AC75 to fly were completely different from anything seen before.
During the 36th America's Cup in 2021 the AC75 proved themselves to be unique and kept millions of fans worldwide glued to their screens.
Therefore On the 15th of November 2021, eight months after Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the America's Cup, an updated 'Version 2' of the AC75 Class Rule was released.
The foiling monohulls to be used in Barcelona in 2024, will be slightly different, with rules being tweaked partly to improve light wind performance and reduce crew numbers from 11 to 8. The move to reduce the crew means cycle power is again legalised, and the cyclors, introduced by Team New Zealand in 2017, might return in the game.
But what's the technology behind the AC75?
Therefore On the 15th of November 2021, eight months after Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the America's Cup, an updated 'Version 2' of the AC75 Class Rule was released.
The foiling monohulls to be used in Barcelona in 2024, will be slightly different, with rules being tweaked partly to improve light wind performance and reduce crew numbers from 11 to 8. The move to reduce the crew means cycle power is again legalised, and the cyclors, introduced by Team New Zealand in 2017, might return in the game.
But what's the technology behind the AC75?
To start with, the AC75 is big - 75-feet long and 16-feet wide - but, it's also light, which is crucial, because the AC75 is designed to fly. It's also different - rather than a keel, a brand new concept keeps it standing. Foil Cant Arms move under, or outside, the boat to provide the leverage it needs to stay upright.
Some parts of the boat are supplied - the mast, rigging, foil-cant arms and their hydraulics are all stock components. But, there are still plenty of areas that designers can experiment with to find a race-winning edge.
The double-sail skin Mainsail combines with the D shaped mast to form a wing, generating the power the AC75 needs to foil.
Underwater is where things get really interesting, the foil cant system is a battery-driven, hydraulic power-unit that supplies the energy to lift and lower the immensely strong - and heavy - foil cant arms.
As the boat swaps tacks, the cant system is activated, placing one hydrofoil in the water, and lifting the other one out, where its weight becomes ballast. At the end of the arms lie the teams' secret weapons - the foil wings. Apart from basic rules governing dimensions and weight, these are open territory for designers.
With the teams allowed to build only one AC75, will a lot change from what we have seen during the last Cup, or will the new monohulls resemble the winning Kiwi boat?