I know nothing about sailing, but this sounds impressive.

Truly amazing come from (way) behind victory! Larry spent what, $200 M, so he had some serious skin in the game. I watched as much as I could and was amazed at the speed of these boats! They are actually able to sail as fast as the wind. The lift created by the wing shape of the sail compensates for the drag of the dagger boards. Engineering, tactical brilliance, discipline, and loads of cash. That's what is needed to win the oldest trophy in sport. Congrats, Larry Ellison and Oracle Team USA!

quote: Originally posted by FoamDome Truly amazing come from (way) behind victory! Larry spent what, $200 M, so he had some serious skin in the game. I watched as much as I could and was amazed at the speed of these boats! They are actually able to sail as fast as the wind. The lift created by the wing shape of the sail compensates for the drag of the dagger boards. Engineering, tactical brilliance, discipline, and loads of cash. That's what is needed to win the oldest trophy in sport. Congrats, Larry Ellison and Oracle Team USA!

Any boat in this class of racing that's only as fast as the wind might as well just stay on shore; shit, barstools in the yacht club are faster than that! Oracle routinely ran 2 to 2.5 times actual windspeed, and up to 4 times running downwind! Once the boat attained racing speeds, it was skimming the water on hydrofoils, hydrodynamic drag was negligible. To put the sails in perspective, Oracle's mainsail is 223 ft tall; A Boeing 747's wing is 102 ft. This is the bleeding edge of sailing technology!

50 knots boat speed in 30 knot breeze is impressive! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/sailing/10335496/Americas-Cup-how-the-yachts-go-faster-than-the-wind.html

As any sailor will tell you, the wind doesn't blow, it sucks![:D] My oldest and closest friend is the local sailmaker; I helped him start the business in '83, and you might reasonably assume he's been absolutely insufferable through these Cup races! Life is funny dept: My father's best friend as a civilian, before WWII, was an avid sailor, and eventually became a lawyer. His daughter, Betsy Gelenitis, was one of the top female sailors in the world (now retired) His best friend in the army was a letter carrier in civilian life, who introduced him to my mother. My best friend, the aforementioned sailmaker, was a full-time postal mechanic, and part-time sailmaker (Cincinnati is not the place for a full-time sailmaker) who introduced me to my first (and should've been my last) wife. My best friend in the USAF is also an avid sailor, and is now a lawyer in LA. Go figure!

Never been, but it looks cool. And you can't go wrong with 18 of NB's LOF series all in one place!