America's Cup Racing

I've really enjoyed watching it, but I wonder if it's as appealing to non-sailors. The camera work is awesome and the computer graphics make it a lot more understandable, but I wonder if it's exciting to people who don't have a sense of what speed on the water feels like.

The US team has been vastly improved over the first several races, but it'll still be tough for them to pull off a win at this point.

Its hardly "sport" anymore with multi-millions being spent not only on the vessels but on professionally paid crew...on the vessels and in support. Sure its entertaining for some (me includeded) but its NOT the sport of yacht racing! Let's see the Cup being truly internation in nature, and back in monohulls...maybe, simply one-design on a level playing field with crews made up of a country's nationals...not imported pros. Just how many Americans are actual crew on the American boat? Most will be surprised...not that many! Sort of a rant....sorry Cheers, Richard.

I completely agree: racing the AC 72 catamarans has as little in common with the sailing and racing I do as F1 has in common with my driving the family mini-van around.

Although I love watching the huge cats get up on the foils and love seeing how fast they accelerate, the problem with the extreme speeds on such a short course is: one mistake and the race is over. Today's 2nd race was decided by a single US mistake (or at least an arguable mistake), so were some of the earlier losses.

Hi,

Just 3 from what I can see on the net.

It is crewed by a lot of different nationalities with the Kiwi and Australian numbers being the majority.

I really like to watch the finals now. Great sport, great pictures, great atmosphere, breathtaking (at least for me). The LVC was a different story ...

Regarding different boats, all national crews... : I think like every sport it is at some point diverting from "what everyone can do". As Austrian I just look at downhill racing in winter. Some years ago, a very trained non professional could reach similar (not the same) speed. But now, now way. Same with sailing: AC is not meant to be a everyman sport, and it never was. This does not mean, that it should be so expensive, that there are only 1 or two teams that can affort to participate. And let's be honest: AC is not a nations cup, but pleae correct me, one of yacht clubs?!

The Trophy is originally from a British race in 1851 and the name America's Cup is from the winning schooner America, not the country. Today when the cost of participating is out of this world, I think they should go back and build vintage style schooners instead. Perhaps having just two yachts and let the crew alternate between races. This I would watch, but the racing machines they use today are just silly to me...

The cup has always brought designers to the very edge of the technology of their time.... Even the first first Cup winner, the America, was state of art.

Does anyone believe the J boats were anywhere near what most folks sailed back in the 30s? Or later the 12 meters...

Multi hulls are the fastest sailing machines, they belong in the cup. For those who like more tradition, me included, there are many vintage regattas, including the J class events.

It s pretty much like auto racing... There is nothing out there like a V12 hitting red line or a nice heel n toe downshift but it doesn't mean F1 should go back 30 years. Again, there is vintage racing for that. And NASCAR with 50s tachnology like carburetors, cast iron block, 4 speed trannies. Do they still use drum brakes?

I like what the cup was doing from 1992 till 2007, now its practically going down hill. Not much amusement in these races in my book....

Will be hard to go back to monos but these flying machines are just silly for a sailing race.

I was a skeptic of the AC class boats, but the racing has been exciting and the coverage, with the graphics and multiple cameras, has been outstanding. Much better than the old days when you watched the entire Cup in a one hour segment of Wide World of Sports [yes that dates me]. I miss the days when the Cup was truely a battle of national sailors [although the Kiwi boat IS New Zealand, even if they are financed by the Gulf Emirates], but as a contest between teams of professional sailors, I'm ok with that. What I do miss, however, is the pre-start manouvering of the older mono-hulls, which is where most of those races were decided. These AC boats are just too fast to engage in the type of jousting that made the old race starts so entertaining.

Congratulations to the Oracle Team!

Ac

I think the racing was really exciting especially a comeback like that. Boats going 40-50 knots (power or sail) are exciting to watch when they are crossing. If you want to watch nationals racing monohulls you can watch the Olympics. Even as a sailor I find the slow mono hulls boring to watch. San Fran was a great venue for this event!

Well done... Until yesterday I though Jimmy Spithill was delusional thinking they could win it.

Wow...

May have been a continent away but I blew our horns as they crossed the line!

Comeback!

Unbelievable winning 8 straight! Super effort. America's Cup racing now sailing's answer to Formula One racing! Right on the edge.

Actually I found AC racing more exciting than F1 !

That was one hell of a finale to a series, the youTube coverage was excellent late into the night in Europe.

Those boats are just monsters.

Larry turned the AC into a popular spectacle and a very extreme and risky sport. Wou!!! Those monsters fly more than float. Amazing how he made the switch from an old man's sport to an extreme one. I hope next year there are more teams competing.

Congratulations on the comeback, but I think we can all agree that 40 years from now nobody is going to restore an AC 72 like Elizabeth Meyer did with ENDEAVOUR, and create enough interest that people will be building new ones to sail and cruise on.
Best,
Maldwin

Real Sportsmanlike Conduct

Team New Zealand gets giant welcome home party, even though they lost the Cup

Sail-World.com : America's Cup: Images from the Harbour welcome home for Team NZ