Please select your home edition
Edition
Pantaenius 2022 - SAIL & POWER 1 LEADERBOARD ROW

America's Cup- AC45 ticks all the boxes on just her second day out

by Richard Gladwell on 19 Jan 2011
AC45 on the Hauraki Gulf on Day 2 of sea trialling Richard Gladwell www.photosport.co.nz

Sail-World was very privileged to get a look at the new AC45 sailing on the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf, in conditions that were testing - a 20kts SW breeze, gusting to 26kts.

It was very hard, or impossible to find fault with the AC45, which turned in a remarkable performance by any standard and particularly for a multihull.

She exhibited excellent speed up and downwind - hitting 13-16kts upwind and 27-30kts downwind.

The sailing angles were very good - comparable with a keelboat, maybe not up at the angles of an AC Version 5 - noted for their closewindedness.


Handling was an absolute dream - even some quite radical maneuvers such a several 'S' bend bearaways at speed from an on the wind course, there was no tendency to bury a bow, and she stayed almost level throughout.

Tacking was unbelievable - far quicker than a monohull - even an AC class yacht - and more akin to a very well sailed foiling moth - which does not put her hull in the water during a tack. The AC45 put both hulls in the water for maybe a second as she went through the eye of the wind, and then she was back flying a hull again on the new tack.

Gybing was slightly less radical, but still well above the standard of a monohull - giving the impression that matchracing will be very possible in these boats - if the AC72 scales up from the AC45.


(The video's below are not high quality - being shot from an iPhone4 in a chase boat doing around 30 kts downwind and 16kts upwind - so there is a bit of camera shake. The first is of a two minute speed burst in which the AC45 was moving at 25-30kts. The points to note are the stability of flight, the leeward bow not diving - especially cutting through a powerboat wake at 25kts plus, and the speed of the boats following. In the second, sailing upwind the stability of flight is probably the key point.)





Leaving the dock was a little tricky in the conditions, and you couldn't have got a more difficult place in the wind conditions. A bearaway off the dock, two gybes and she was out in the harbour - all alone and without assistance. Returning was easy with a chase boat strapped alongside.

The dropping in and out of the water was not much of a problem due to a clever system used to lift the boats, the main trick being to keep the boat head to wind while the rudders were fitted and then squeezing out of the confines of the marina berth.

We'll have a full review, more pictures, comments from Murray Jones and video later tonight. (Excuse the quality of the video - shot from a chase boat using an iPhone4 at 30kts - however if you look closely you will see that the AC45 has few vices, including cutting through a powerboat wake at close to 30kts).





[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMPredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 BOTTOM

Related Articles

Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo The 37th edition of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup delivered a thrilling second day this Sunday, once again marked by strong winds and the talent of the world's best windsurfers.
Posted today at 8:47 pm
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind.
Posted today at 8:39 pm
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 4
One race, one storm, and one big lay day vibe With qualification wrapped and the fleet now split into six groups—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, Purple, and White—Day 4 of the 29er Europeans kicked off with early optimism and an earlier-than-usual launch in pursuit of the morning breeze.
Posted today at 7:09 pm
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 1
Full foiling conditions launch the World Championship with four high-intensity races for both fleets The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day.
Posted today at 7:01 pm
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal.
Posted today at 6:54 pm
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour LaMaddalena day 2
A fantastic second day in La Maddalena. The perfect wind conditions allowed Waszp and Wing to carry out their regatta program, thrilling with their spectacular evolutions in a breathtaking setting among the islands of the archipelago.
Posted today at 2:53 pm
Red Bull Sailing Academy Opens
A new hub for current and future superstars to reach the top of their sport Marina Monfalcone, North Italy, made waves yesterday, as sports superstars gathered to open the Red Bull Sailing Academy, marking the beginning of a new era in the sport.
Posted today at 12:53 pm
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 1
Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever as Pozo delivers 50 knot winds and waves.
Posted today at 11:42 am
America's Cup: French give the Brits the "Hurry-up
Frustration builds between Cup factions over lack of progress with Protocol. Last weekend's missive from the French America's Cup challenge team is further evidence over the building frustration with progress towards the 2027 America's Cup in Naples.
Posted today at 11:12 am
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?!
Posted today at 11:00 am