America's Cup - Oracle Team USA's AC45's fly together

by Sail-World.com on 19 Sep 2015 Oracle Team USA assemble their two AC45S - test platform boats - at their base in Bermuda.

In this time lapse sequence by Jean-Pierre Rouja|LookBermuda Films we can see the whole sequence from the time the boats are unpacked to final assembly.

Points to note are:

1. The layout of the AC45S with the crew pits cut into the hulls, and the crews stand in the hulls to trim, steer and eventually grind. (Some teams are still using battery power to drive the hydraulics while they assess energy needs and generation options).

In the video there are three crew pits - while in the still above there are only two. (The fourth and most forward opening is believed to house the foils and adjustment mechanism - covered with the flexible cover in the shot above). The central crew pit is believed to be expanded to facilitate a second grinding position to double the manual power generation capability. Stored power is currently prohibited in the 35th America's Cup, although it was used in the 2010 Deed of Gift Match by Alinghi.)

2. The rear section of the hulls detached from the main canoe body of each hull, the aft section has the D-shaped bean attached to take the extra stress of the wider platform beam in the AC45S - which are built from old AC45 hulls. In the AC50's there will be just single piece hulls.