Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine 2019 728x90

In sailing, there's no moment like the debut of a new America's Cup rule

by Peter Harken, Harken Chairman 4 Sep 2019 19:00 AEST
The 36th America's Cup class boat concept of the AC75 © Virtual Eye

It's the week before Labor Day as I type this. And something that happens only rarely in our sport is about to take place. The first boats designed to a new America's Cup rule are about to be launched and take their first sails. There is no time quite like this in our sport. Since March of 2018 when version one of the AC75 Class Rule came out, the best minds in boat design, boat building, rigging and sail/soft wing design, have been creating the first America's Cup (and the World's first) 75' foiling monohulls. Before we go on, let's pause to reflect on that.

75'. Foiling. Monohull. Wow.

At Harken, we've been involved in the America's Cup since 1977. The boats then were 12 Meters...a class of boat that had existed since the turn of that century. They were great boats for the Cup, but there had been lots already built. And until the winged keel appeared, we thought we knew all about them. Teams and designers focused on ever-smaller areas in the rule to find any small advantage.

Next came the first AC75 rule, and it was a moment very much like right now. The first boats that were launched looked quite different from one another. Some explored the max width of the rule. Some went very narrow. The rigs were different, as were the sail shapes. I remember a boat from New Zealand was shorter than the others and much lighter. The best and brightest in the sport looked at the rule and went in different directions. In time, over 100 of those AC75s were built. Cup cycle to Cup cycle, what was fast became better and better understood and the designs coalesced toward the very narrow type form that we saw at the end.

On to the 35th Cup Match held in Bermuda in 2017. Parts of the boats and sails were supplied equipment as mandated by the rule. Said another way, those parts were identical. So at first viewing, except for the New Zealanders who were seen biking where others were grinding, the boats looked pretty similar. As it turned out, they weren't that similar around the racecourse, but what accounted for the performance difference was in the execution of the flight control.

That brings us back to today. In the next few weeks, the first of the new AC75s will splash and it will be striking. Locked in, in breeze, their tenders and coach boats may struggle to keep up. How well these boats will be managed, even by the world's best sailors, is still an open question. We've seen how seriously the teams are taking the possibility of capsize in the attention they're paying to supplemental oxygen supplies each sailor carries. We've seen them in the pools training for every possibility.

At Harken, we've been building, testing and delivering equipment for these boats for months. As the Cup goes, much of what we've built so far will be out-designed and rebuilt several times before the next Match in Spring of 2021. For right now, there's really nothing to do but wait for the first launches. Wait for the first time the soft wings go up. Wait for the first time the hulls leave the water and the arms support these amazing creations. Right now, we can just be fans... fantastic!

See the 3D Model of the AC75 here.

Read the full September Issue of the Harken At The Front Newsletter here.

Related Articles

Harken Single-Acting Integral Hydraulic Backstay
The power to optimize sail shape quickly for racers and smoother furling for cruisers Harken's new single-acting integral hydraulic backstay adjuster provides the power to optimize sail shape quickly for racers and adjust mast tension for smoother furling for cruisers. Posted on 4 Mar 2022
Harken Spotlighting Women in the Marine Industry
Hear from Christine Malcolm, Harken Engineer Harken are shining the spotlight on female voices in the sailing industry who have an uncommon impact on the sport. They'll share stories about the challenges they face and the unique strengths they bring to their organizations. Posted on 5 Nov 2021
Grant Pellew named Harken New Zealand MD
Decision made as part of ongoing investment in Kiwi market Harken Inc. announced the promotion of Harken Australia's Managing Director, Grant Pellew, to additionally serve as Managing Director of its Harken New Zealand operations. Posted on 30 Jun 2021
Traveler Maintenance, Aussie-Style
A concise tutorial on Harken travelers Callum Cecil delivers a concise tutorial on Harken travelers including variable hole-spacing track. He'll get you all sorted "Quick Smart. Posted on 1 Jun 2019
Protexit Blocks: Halyards never had it so good
Offering advanced wear protection and the highest working loads Offering advanced wear protection and the highest working loads ever for Harken small Boat exit blocks, Protexit blocks ensure smooth and secure running of lines and halyards under a variety of conditions. Posted on 2 Apr 2019
Harken Element Blocks
Learn all about them with Neil Evans of the Tech Team Get a refresher on Harken's line of popularly-priced Element blocks. Posted on 12 Mar 2019
Harken Product Focus: The Carbo Block
Available in sizes from 18mm to 75mm in multiple configurations With such a huge range of hardware out there, the Harken Tech Team would like to help untangle the different options available. Every month we will be producing a product focus article, giving advice on how to pick the right hardware for the job. Posted on 29 Jan 2019
January News from the World of Harken
At The Front, Harken's digital digest Welcome to the January issue of At The Front, Harken's digital digest. Catch up on top Harken web content posted during the last month. Enjoy! Posted on 1 Jan 2019
Harken Tech Team asked & answered: Traveler Kits
Upgrading your traveler is an odyssey no more Upgrading your traveler is an odyssey no more thanks to boxed Harken Traveler Kits. Posted on 4 Oct 2018
Harken and the challenge of the Volvo Ocean Race
Ensuring the fleet is supplied with the very best and most reliable equipment Harken are the Official Supplier of Deck Hardware for the Volvo Ocean Race and ensure that the fleet is supplied with the very best and most reliable equipment for the duration of the event. Posted on 4 Jul 2018
Allen Dynamic 40 FooterVetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERHyde Sails 2024 - One Design