Editorial Andrew Hurst Wooden lining?
There is almost always a hiatus following the conclusion of an America’s Cup Match. When there was near-universal agreement about the suitability of the boats being used, that hiatus was generally brief, with one potential unknown – or known unknown, to quote Donald Rumsfeld – removed from the debate about the next event.
This time around things feel different, however. Had World War II not broken out two years after the conclusion
of the 1937 Match, history suggests that to encourage potential challengers at the next event a move away from the mighty J Class would have been on the cards. In some part due to the sheer costs of campaigning these behemoths but a more powerful reason was the dominance of Harold Vanderbilt’s Super J Ranger programme. In the 1930s potential challengers already faced substantial
hurdles just to compete, let alone have a shot at winning. The requirement to sail to Newport from your home port was tough enough for a European challenger, but it all but eliminated any chance of a challenge from the Southern Hemisphere. Vanderbilt’s 1937 Defence had indisputably raised the competitive bar and, setting aside all the other demands on a possible challenger, there was clear evidence that the New York Yacht Club had found a yacht that might have approached perfection under the J Class Rule. Similarly, in the more recent ACC Class era, Alinghi’s superb
SUI-100 was regarded by many rival designers as the supreme example of the breed, leaving only tiny scope of improvement at a comparatively very high cost in money and scientific resources. Of course, by the end of World War II many of the great Js – including
Ranger herself – had been scrapped to provide material for war production. By the time the world had recovered enough for it to be more seemly to consider restarting a visibly indulgent sporting event, for the first post-War Cup of 1958 it was an easy decision to opt for a more affordable class, the relatively popular 12 Metres. By pre-War standards the 12s were quite cheap to build and until
the late 1970s and the appearance of professional campaigns they were also relatively cheap to campaign. In a nutshell, the crews were largely amateur, the sails were Dacron and almost everything else including the hull was aluminium. The 12s went on to successfully deliver the goods for the next 30 years, until made obsolete for Cup use by the ‘Big Boat vs Catamaran’ legal hiatus following Dennis Conner’s slam dunk winning challenge in Fremantle in 1987. Change of economic circumstances, change of attitude and mood
and change in wider perception. Following developments in the America’s Cup – or rather lack of them – in the weeks running up to the time of writing, it may sound like heresy given the spectacular nature of the AC75s, but is it once again time to think the unthinkable and ask whether the AC75 is the right boat for next time? In 2024 in Barcelona several challengers boasted resources –
close to $200 million throughout the four-year cycle… only to lose. Thus far the AC75s have been used for just two Cups. No one
will claim that technically they are yet anywhere near to the limits of their potential. During their first use there were some fumbles by Team New Zealand which offered glimmers of hope to Challenger Luna Rossa. Similarly in 2024 there were a couple (sic) of sailing mistakes by the New Zealanders and in a narrow set of conditions the British Challenger may even have had a small speed edge. But no one would seriously suggest that, in 2021 or 2024, New Zealand went into the Match with the slower boat. And there is more. Since Grant Dalton dived in to rebuild a
shattered Kiwi Cup team following the humiliation of 2003, the whole group has steadily got better, stronger, more consistent and innovative, and more resilient under pressure. Any small gaps in the package are quickly filled, which in reality made the outcome in Spain more of a foregone conclusion than the score suggests. There will be personnel changes as hopeful rivals explore luring
away key players. Pete Burling has already parted ways with the team he skippered to three consecutive Cup wins. But in the AC75 era Burling’s departure is not that significant.
The boats are controlled as much by the scientists as the sailors, and the move on from a generation of sailors brought up floating not flying to brilliant young foiling talent like Marco Gradoni and Dylan Fletcher opens up a whole new talent pool. Entertainingly, one of the names that will no doubt be back on
the Team New Zealand shopping list is Sir Russell Coutts’ equally talented son Mattias, multiple champion in the junior classes before delivering a crushing performance to win the 2025 Moth world title. Team New Zealand has the strength in depth plus the benchmark
AC75, and has raised the game as much as Vanderbilt did. The challenges to overcome for even a well-resourced new project look almost insurmountable. Will enough teams conduct feasibility studies and decide that, yes, they have a good shot at it, to attract more than a tiny number of entries? That is far from certain. Yes, the AC75s are extraordinary, and for a handful of lucky
talent, financial and scientific – to match and in some cases out- score the defenders Emirates Team New Zealand. The sums of money spent were mind-boggling, two challengers shelling out
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Farewell, dear friend. The success of WoodenBoat, much of the drive behind the US traditional-boatbuilding schools movement, the IBEX marine trade show and so much more, Carl Cramer who died last month with his wife Melissa and dog Muttley at his side
sailors going back to anything else will be near impossible. But is the AC75 still the right class if, as people never tire of claiming, the goal is for a strong event and a strong final Match? Remember too that a change of Cup class means a slim hope that a small challenge with a golden bullet might just pull it off… The next few months should be interesting.
FORESIGHT I remember smiling when Jean-Marie Finot told me in 2000 that a 40-day Jules Verne would be seen in the
TWO WATER BABIES It was clear even to me as I came ashore that I was not normal by the
next 20 years – Jocelyn Blériot I just realised that Charlie Dalin’s VG time virtually equals Orange’s 2002 record…
sailing a 100ft cat – Blériot Just 17 years later Francis Joyon took the
JV mark to 40 days – Ed
YOU ASKED! I need more time in the car, but I know I don’t
He’s right – Red Bull driver manager Helmut Marko
have it – Liam Lawson has a second bad F1 race with Red Bull
likes of people I met –Warwick ‘Commodore’ Tompkins after spending the first 9 years of his life at sea
Honestly, even aged 9 the transition to life on
went back out there – Tompkins (aged 93)
Where from? – Falmouth Customs, 1969
land was tough – Tompkins So for much of my life I
Falmouth – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Suhaili
TDS It is not hard to see the new militias supporting Trump mutating into
death squads… – (bonkers) climate activist George Monbiot
SEAHORSE 11
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