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May 10, 2013- Interviewed by Steven E. Greer
With the death of an America’s Cup sailor after a capsize in San Francisco, and other crashes like it, we asked our local North Cove Marina sailing expert, Mike Fortenbaugh, some questions.
Q: When will America’s Cup take place?
A: America’s Cup takes place this summer. Starts in July with trials and then will finish in September.
Q: How are the boats radically different than the one in North Cove?
A: Boats are totally different than what we have at North Cove. You can see the AC videos.
Q: How much faster are they?
A: AC boats are now super fast. They do something brand new which is called “foiling.” Foiling is when they lift out of the water and sail with only foils in the water. This reduces friction and allows the boats to reach unheard of speeds. Also increases the danger.
Q: Is that stable?
A: Two of the AC 72s (the big boats will be used in the AC race) have crashed.
Q: How many wrecks?
A: There are 4 teams total. Two teams have crashed.
Q: Will the race this year continue?
A: Yes there will be a race this summer. The danger adds to interest for the sport, actually. They have designed a sport more like car racing which people often watch hoping to see some crashes. They hope the more extreme it is, the more people will be interested.