Sail-World.com : America's Cup: Oracle Team USA makes final preparations for sailing
America's Cup: Oracle Team USA makes final preparations for sailing
|
America's Cup defender, Oracle Team USA is scheduled to relaunch its first AC72 catamaran, next week.
Following months of repair work and delivery and assembly of the second wing, the boat is nearing completion and is on track to be sailing in the San Francisco Bay, again. Following the launch it is expected the AC72 will undergo the usual towing trial, before the wingsail is stepped and USA-17 sails once again.
'After the capsize, the team set the first week of February as the target date to get back on the water,' said General Manager Grant Simmer. 'A lot had to come together for that to happen, and it’s a great achievement to be right on schedule. Everyone really worked hard and put in long hours to meet that goal.'
Last week with modifications wrapping up and painting finished, the assembly began. Nets have been tied back onto the platform, and system installation started – hydraulics, electronics, steering.
'Now the majority of the modifications are complete and we’ve moved on to the assembly process,' said Shore Team Manager Mark Turner. 'We’ll be load testing at the end of the week and getting the boards back in.
'Everyone has been focused and really pushing to get all of the work done,' Turner said. 'It’s meant a lot of long hours for a lot of people, seven days a week. They’ve been working not only on repairs, but also doing the work needed to modify the platform.'
The entire team is looking forward to watching the results of their labor roll back out of the shed, returning to the water for the first time since the October 16 capsize.
In a parallel occasion, in Auckland, New Zealand. Emirates Team New Zealand will launch their second AC72 on February 4, 2013 and is expected to sail three days later. Oracle Team USA are expected to launch their AC72 in April.Currently Luna Rossa and Artemis Racing are sailing their first AC72's in Auckland and San Francisco respectively.
From February 1, 2013 the teams enter their second limited sailing period, when teams are allowed to sail for a maximum of 45 days between February 1 and April 30, 2013, in an effort to limit the cost of sailing the 72ft catamarans. Only one team achieved the 30 days limitation in the first period which ran from July 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013.
by Sail-World
Click on the FB Like link to post this story to your FB wall
http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=106090
8:12 PM Tue 29 Jan 2013GMT
Click here for printer friendly version
Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.
Click for further information on
2013 America's Cup
Related News Stories:
MORE STORIES ...
|
|
|
Our Advertisers are committed to our sport, please support them!
This site and its contents are © Copyright TetraMedia Pty. Ltd and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved.
Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph you must contact the photographer directly (there is a hyperlink in most cases to their website, or do a Google search.) with your request.
Please do not contact
Sail-World.com
as we cannot give permission for use of other photographer’s images.
Only if the photographer named on the image is Sail-world.com, Powerboat-world.com, Marinebusiness-world.com or NZBoating-World.com.
Contact us
.
Ph: +61 2 8006 1873
or complete our
feedback form
Contact us
.
View our Privacy Policy.
[ Go Home]
[ Banner Advertising Specification]
[Bot Archive ]
Customised news feeds -Marine Industry companies, Clubs and Associations have their own customised version of our news feed on their website.
Look_here_to_see_examples
|
| | |
