Opposite: wild and whacky... and only about 25,000nm still to go. OK, we are a little besotted with the little Mini 580s which are now off around the world in Don McIntyre’s Mini Globe Race. The newest boat racing is hull no189 so we are certainly not the only ones. Above: bad to worse… The USA SailGP team flipped their F50 on the way out to the course in Sydney after accidentally cambering up the rig with the boat off the foils. Help was soon to hand, but despite skilful efforts righting the boat only made everything worse
headsets, when they look down they can see outside the headset and see their hands and the buttons they need to push. The simulator can measure the time between a button push and the response of the component being controlled. Working in the sim, sailors develop the communications protocols they will use when racing at the same time as they are refining how they will use the control systems for the sails and the foils. The simulator is part of a development loop that predicts
performance and then compares the prediction with the real world result. The control systems and mechatronics of an AC75 include complex software that can be rapidly updated. During a race the sailors are on their own with no communications from the support team. But the boat is generating huge amounts of data that can be used between races for rapid software updates and evaluating more nuanced tactical options for the next race. Even with the AC teams currently restricted from sailing their
AC75s, we can be sure that development on the simulators is continuing and that the sailors can be training in them.
CupExperience.com
HAPPY IN THE BAHAMAS – Terry Hutchinson Bouncing along at 20,000ft aboard Jet Blue 2649 en route from Nassau back to Ft Lauderdale. Much like the final leg of the SORC, the Miami-Nassau Race, flight 2649 is bouncy. Unlike with the race I just can’t get used to turbulence. One would think after almost 2,000,000 air miles one would get used to it, but nope! I would take a rough race any day. Miami-Nassau was an ‘old school’ classic that I remember
reading about when I was a kid. Days of SORC that had Two-Tonners battling the heinous conditions of the Gulf Stream. Pictures of Love Machine taking a massive wave from the beam dousing every part of the boat from spreader-two down. The 2025 version was nothing like what I read about in Yacht
Racing and Cruising. The 2025 version started in a moderate 12-14kt northwest breeze just north of Government Cut in Miami. Conditions built to a steady 16-21kt with the occasional gust to 23. What ensued was a quick race, record breaking in fact.
Considering that the top three finishers, Bella Mente (9:20:49), Velocity Class40 (12:20:06) and Hooligan (TP52 12:11:02), all broke the 2013 record. For Bella Mente the race was about as perfect as it could be.
As predicted by Chris Bedford and navigator Ian Moore, the pace would be fast. The biggest challenge that Bella Mente could face would be managing the pace as we launched over waves crossing the Gulf Stream. In a stroke of good luck the predicted wind materialised but was
delayed 90 minutes in the proper build. This allowed Bella Mente to get across the 15 miles of the race from the western wall of the Gulf Stream to the more relaxed northerly current of 1.5-2kt without too much concern. Waves, yes, but not the anticipated 2m waves. And the entire fleet benefited from the previous day’s southerly
which had done a reasonable job of flattening the sea state, making the strong northerly pressure more manageable in the wind against tide scenario. The race itself was straightforward from start to finish. Start on
the outboard lead, hoist and deploy the GS and steer straight. We chose a waypoint about 1.5nm north of Great Isaac Lighthouse in anticipation of a sea state that never really materialised. Don’t get me wrong, it was wet and the bilge pumps worked to
keep up. In fact, mid-bowman Jared ‘Beach’ Henderson spent the majority of the race managing the pumps and keeping the inside of Bella Mente dry-ish! As predicted, at each turn the breeze shifted slightly right. Main-
taining a TWA of 90-110 which in the 18-21kt of TWS kept the crew on Bella Mente lit up. The final 60 miles into the finish were again perfect, 130-140 TWA. Our developing ‘structured luff’ spinnakers from Doyle were on
display. The A2-SL got a workout as Bella Mente surged along from 20 to 26kt of boat speed. The occasional gurgle as one of Bella Mente’s new twin-rudders thought of stalling, as we teetered near 35° of heel. Reflecting on the race I am continually impressed by the reliability
of our boat. After being on the AC75, Bella Mente is complicated. The combination of PLC logic, water ballast and general complexity of the operating systems makes the boat difficult to maintain.
SEAHORSE 15
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