Cup Experience News | USA MOB – Dangerous Situation | 60! Years of Foil Controls | Champagne & Sake

Cup Experience News | USA MOB - Dangerous Situation | 60! Years of Foil Controls | Champagne & Sake


Cup Experience News

Issue 49 | Friday 3 March 2017

In this issue:

  • USA Man Overboard - A Dangerous Situation
  • 60! Years Ago: Foil Control Systems Then
  • Foil Control Systems Now - Interesting Detail on New Zealand's Yacht
  • Winning AC72 in Her New Home - Mariners' Museum
  • Tell Jack: About those Kiwi Foils

Bermuda Special Info:

  • Come Sail on Superyacht "Arabella" in Bermuda
  • ​Cruising to Bermuda? Caroline Bay Marina Reservations Open!


  • USA Man Overboard - Dangerous Situation

Click the image to go to the video.

Graeme Spence went over the front crossbeam when Oracle Team USA’s America’s Cup Class yacht dropped off the foils in training on Wednesday 22 February 2017. Graeme was lucky not to be hit by the daggerboard or rudder. Remember that Franck Cammas of Groupama Team France almost lost his right foot when he was hit by the rudder after going overboard in training in France in November 2015. Read about Franck’s ordeal here, here and here.


  • 60! Years Ago: Foil Control Systems Then

Foiling is not as new as you may think. Enrico Forlanini hit 37 knots with a foiling motorboat on Lago Maggiore in 1906. Alexander Graham Bell's foiling HD-4 set the world marine speed record of 62.6 knots in 1919.
And, what about foiling sailboats?

Baker Manufacturing of Wisconsin built Monitor for the US Navy in 1955.

Gordon Baker's Monitor could foil in 13 knots of wind and sail at better than two times the true wind speed. Reports on top speed vary between 30 and 40 knots.

I recently got a look at Monitor in the Mariners' Museum at Newport News

Ladder style hydrofoils would be cranked down after launching.

Hand cranks on port and starboard to set angle of incidence. The wooden lever and metal rod controlled the vang assembly seen in the next photo.

The horizontal bar with the traveller could be raised and lowered from the cockpit.

Monitor combined the rudder with hydrofoils to lift the stern.

See video and more photos of Monitor .


  • Foil Control Systems Now - Interesting Details on New Zealand's Race Yacht

The bicycle grinding stations on Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup Class race yacht have more advantages than efficient power generation - they free up the crew's hands to operate controls. In the number 3 position, Blair Tuke has a joystick mounted on the deck. Notice also the attention to aerodynamics, like the fairing around the self-tacking jib track.


  • Winning AC72 "USA 17" in Her New Home - Mariners' Museum

USA 17 in the Mariners' Museum. An America's Cup exhibit will open in May 2017.

View from the helm of USA 17. If you'd like a tour of the rest of the boat, inside and out, and with a few surprises, click the photos, or this link.

Foil Controls on the AC72 USA 17 - buttons on the cockpit sole marked for Fore and Aft rake. Up and Dn to raise and lower the boards. Several never-seen-before photos of USA 17 details here.

Join the Conversation on the Cup Experience Facebook Group.


  • Reader Questions to "Ask Jack"
  • from Peter Schwarzel in australia
  • ask jack!
  • This week we have "Tell Jack" - Thanks to Peter Schwarzel of Carbon Works in Australia for sharing some observations about New Zealand's foils after I wrote about ETNZ's "inverted gull wing" foils, reminiscent of the Junkers Stuka dive bomber. Read my article here.

    Hi Jack - Keep up the good work. The Junkers type shape is to achieve a couple of things. The main one is If you have a smooth curve this encourages longitudinal flow along the "wing" which reduces its efficiency. Having defined bends in the wing is like having a "fence" that stops sideways (spanwise) flow. There's other interesting things with the Kiwis as well. The board is raked forward to discourage ventilation - you may have noticed they make more spray than prior boats as the board is tilted forward, not vertical. Also the board is canted outboard to increase the possible righting moment of the boat (that's created by the extra bend in the top of the board). I'm sure there are many more details we can't see. I'm sure 50knots will be done regularly...Peter

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