America’s Cup, anche USA ora ha il motore

[singlepic id=3361 w=204 h=300 float=left]America’s Cup – San Diego – Dopo 3 settimane di lavori, USA, il maxi trimarano che BMW Oracle Racing ha in animo di utilizzare per tentare di strappare l’America’s Cup dalle mani di Alinghi, è uscito dal capannone di San Diego. Un passo che anticipa di qualche giorno il ritorno in acqua dell’unità.

I lavori hanno riguardato principalmente la zona del pozzetto, dove è stato installato un motore simile a quello di Alinghi 5, che verrà utilizzato per governare le vele. Un intervento piuttosto impegnativo, che ha richiesto un pesante intervento dei designer, obbligati a ridisegnare il pozzetto centrale, dove sono state rimosse le colonnine dei coffee grinder.

“Quando abbiamo progettato la barca eravamo convinti che sarebbe stato lo sforzo umano a permettere di regolare le vele – ha spiegato il direttore del design team, Mike Drummond – Con il cambio del regolamento introdotto da Alinghi, ci siamo dovuti adattare, perchè per loro sarebbe stato un vantaggio troppo grande poter contare su un motore che noi non avevamo. Ora eseguiremo i primi test statici. Una volta superata questa fase procederemo con il nuovo varo”.

BMW ORACLE RACING PREPARES FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF TESTING
[Source BMW Oracle Racing] Following three weeks of modifications, the BOR 90 emerged today from the boatbuilding tent at the team base in San Diego.

The latest iteration of the giant trimaran the team will use to challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup boasts new features which will be worked up on shore, before the boat hits the water for more testing near the end of the month.

Most significantly, and in response to the new rules issued earlier this year for the 33rd America’s Cup by the Defender, Société Nautique de Genéve/Alinghi, the team has modified the BOR 90 cockpit to accommodate an engine. For the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, the Defender has altered the racing rules to allow using an engine to replace human power on board the race boats. Since the Cup’s inception in 1851, and in almost all other yacht racing, only manual (human) power may be used to trim sails and do other work.

On BOR 90, the engine will primarily be used to drive hydraulics for trimming the enormous sails – the mainsail alone measures nearly 7,000 square feet – that propel the boat.

Alinghi’s insistence on the use of engines has resulted in the team having not only to add an engine and related gear, but to redesign the boat’s cockpit on the center hull. With the engine, there is no longer a requirement for the grinding pedestals and sailors (“grinders”) who until now provided the human power for the boat, so the cockpit has been reconfigured.

“When we originally designed and built the BOR 90, we assumed we would have to use the crew to provide all the power on board, as that has always been the case in the America’s Cup,” said design team director Mike Drummond.

“With the change to the rules, we’ve had to adapt, adjust and modify. Otherwise, the engine power that Alinghi designed into their boat would have given them a significant advantage. This all part of the process of preparing to race in February. We’ll spend some time with the boat on shore now, doing some finishing work and preliminary tests and then we’ll be sailing again to continue our boat testing and development.”

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