Walking on water: the concept for a new «America's Cup yacht is unveiled.»
Sailing

Walking on water: the concept for a new «America's Cup yacht is unveiled.»

When you first see this concept, the first thought: what the...?! And that thought is forgivable.
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The concept presentation of the AC75 winged single hull for the 36th «America»'s Cup was scheduled for November 30. But the designers of Team New Zealand Cup defenders and their main rivals Luna Rossa were ahead of schedule. Although there were enough ideas, only one project received unanimous support, and the project was truly revolutionary.

The fact is that the boat is not equipped with the usual ballast keel. Instead, it has two T-shaped swivel wings. In normal racing mode, the windward wing is lowered into the water to provide lifting power, while the windward wing is raised out of the water for the straightening moment.

From the outside, it seems as if the yacht is «walking» on the water with one «leg»high.

During manoeuvres and in difficult weather conditions, both wings are in the water for more control over lifting and roll. Finally, during mooring, the wings are folded under the hull and the boat quietly stands up on the berth of standard sizes.

An important feature of the AC75 is that it automatically aligns when there is a threat of a coup and is thus actually unsinkable.

As for sailing weapons, it is known that the boat will be equipped with Code Zero sails for weak winds.

According to ETNZ Director Grant Dalton, the AC75 in foiling mode will be faster than the AC50 catamarans on both downwind and windward courses. Luna Rossa Challenge Chairman Patricio Bertelli is confident that the ideas implemented in the new concept will not only revolutionize the world of racing yachts, but will also have an impact on the cruise sailing industry.

The class rules will be formulated by the end of March 2018. In the meantime many yachtsmen are doubting the viability of the concept presented.

«The first thought when seeing this concept is what the...?! And it is forgivable. It's a monohull. No keel. On curved foyles. Seriously. There's even a video renderer. It looks like something from Star Trek. If this thing works, they think it might be the future of yachting. And if it doesn't? Team NZ made the AC72 fail, so maybe they can make this weird creation come true. Or maybe it's just a ruse to scare away potential Cup»contenders," writes Live Sail Die.
«The question is, how is it done, only one thing: is there enough lifting power or not? Or simply - will it take off or will it not take off?» - Yacht Russia doubts it.

We'll know this in March 2019, when the first AC75 hull is due to be launched. The 36th «America»'s Cup itself will be held in Auckland in 2021.

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