The one design GC32 catamaran organization has chosen to go down the path of foiling with their one design catamaran design. Recent videos show their progress with developing the new foils. The first video shows the catamaran in very light conditions a 6knot breeze delivering a very impressive 18 - 19 knots:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=760967967247115&set=vb.499523610058220&type=2&theater
and a later video in a stronger breeze demonstrating the boats new foiling ability:
Showing posts with label one design multihull racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label one design multihull racing. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Friday, 15 November 2013
GC32 catamaran update, more details on new foils for this one design racing catamaran emerge
From the following press release on thegreatcup.com
http://www.thegreatcup.com/newsitem.aspx?newsId=2a9a1b83-c549-4f1d-889f-dbc4c8860395&month=11&year=2013
After a successful first season competing at regattas across Europe, The Great Cup’s GC32 catamarans are to receive a foil upgrade this winter, a change set to transform the twin-hulled speedsters into full foilers in above 8 knots of wind. The new L-foils will enable the one design GC32s to race elevated from the water, in a similar gravity-defying fashion to the AC72 catamarans that caused such a phenomenon at the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco this summer.
“Our focus has always been to deliver a sustainable product for our owners,” explains Laurent Lenne, founder of The Great Cup and skipper of the SPAX Solutions GC32. “When we started the project the AC boys were only talking about foiling, but now their boats are flying, it is our duty to close this gap by changing our boats so that they can fly too.”
This year Martin Fischer, designer of the GC32, has been working as part of Franck Cammas’ design team that modified one of his Phantom F18 catamarans to become a full foiler. This project was a test bed for Groupama C, the foiling 25ft long C-Class catamaran aboard which Cammas decisively won the International C-Class Catamaran Championship in Falmouth, England in September.
This experience greatly benefitted the GC32 team in creating their new foils. “I believe we did our homework very well to make this step,” continues Lenne. “Many hours were spent developing the right shape, with the right engineering and build costs.”
L-foils of this type represent the most cutting edge technology in sail boat design at present and it is no mean feat to get right. AC72 foils cannot be directly scaled down to work on a substantially smaller and lighter weight boat. Also the aim of the GC32 is different from an AC72: While the latter is a highly complex machine designed to be raced solely by experienced professionals, the GC32 is targeted at sailors of average proficiency or above and should be much easier to sail.
read more here
http://www.thegreatcup.com/newsitem.aspx?newsId=2a9a1b83-c549-4f1d-889f-dbc4c8860395&month=11&year=2013
After a successful first season competing at regattas across Europe, The Great Cup’s GC32 catamarans are to receive a foil upgrade this winter, a change set to transform the twin-hulled speedsters into full foilers in above 8 knots of wind. The new L-foils will enable the one design GC32s to race elevated from the water, in a similar gravity-defying fashion to the AC72 catamarans that caused such a phenomenon at the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco this summer.
“Our focus has always been to deliver a sustainable product for our owners,” explains Laurent Lenne, founder of The Great Cup and skipper of the SPAX Solutions GC32. “When we started the project the AC boys were only talking about foiling, but now their boats are flying, it is our duty to close this gap by changing our boats so that they can fly too.”
This year Martin Fischer, designer of the GC32, has been working as part of Franck Cammas’ design team that modified one of his Phantom F18 catamarans to become a full foiler. This project was a test bed for Groupama C, the foiling 25ft long C-Class catamaran aboard which Cammas decisively won the International C-Class Catamaran Championship in Falmouth, England in September.
This experience greatly benefitted the GC32 team in creating their new foils. “I believe we did our homework very well to make this step,” continues Lenne. “Many hours were spent developing the right shape, with the right engineering and build costs.”
L-foils of this type represent the most cutting edge technology in sail boat design at present and it is no mean feat to get right. AC72 foils cannot be directly scaled down to work on a substantially smaller and lighter weight boat. Also the aim of the GC32 is different from an AC72: While the latter is a highly complex machine designed to be raced solely by experienced professionals, the GC32 is targeted at sailors of average proficiency or above and should be much easier to sail.
read more here
Friday, 2 August 2013
Weta Trimarans, new facebook page for the Weta class in North America
A new facebook page has been established as a communication hub and to notify of events for Weta trimaran owners in North America. Join up at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Weta-Class-North-America/152333094972348
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Weta-Class-North-America/152333094972348
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| Weta's racing, photo courtesy Weta Class North America |
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Red Bull Youth America's Cup update, Australian youth team Objective Australia head to San Franciso to start training on AC45 catamaran
From the following article submitted to Sail-World by Simon Reffold:
http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Red-Bull-Youth-Americas-Cup---Objective-Australia-team-heads-off/112596
Red Bull Australia and NZ MD Jason Sargent joined Yachting Australia CEO Phil Jones today, in wishing Objective Australia Team members all the best in their preparations for the upcoming Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Objective Australia is the team that will represent Australia in this upcoming inaugural series.
The event, an initiative of Red Bull, is the curtain raiser to the America’s Cup and will be sailed in the AC45 Class boats on San Francisco Bay from 1st to 4th September.
Three things mark this event as a standout; firstly the crews are all country of origin, returning to the original America’s Cup approach. The second is that the event is for youth teams 18-24 years of age. Finally, this is a fleet racing event, where the 10 country competitors will be head to head on the line in the exceptionally fast and exciting AC45 Catamarans that have been racing around the world for the past three years.
read more here
The teams facebook page is here
http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Red-Bull-Youth-Americas-Cup---Objective-Australia-team-heads-off/112596
Red Bull Australia and NZ MD Jason Sargent joined Yachting Australia CEO Phil Jones today, in wishing Objective Australia Team members all the best in their preparations for the upcoming Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Objective Australia is the team that will represent Australia in this upcoming inaugural series.
The event, an initiative of Red Bull, is the curtain raiser to the America’s Cup and will be sailed in the AC45 Class boats on San Francisco Bay from 1st to 4th September.
Three things mark this event as a standout; firstly the crews are all country of origin, returning to the original America’s Cup approach. The second is that the event is for youth teams 18-24 years of age. Finally, this is a fleet racing event, where the 10 country competitors will be head to head on the line in the exceptionally fast and exciting AC45 Catamarans that have been racing around the world for the past three years.
read more here
The teams facebook page is here
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Great Cup update, GC32 catamaran's set to race as part of Cowes Week in the UK
The Great Cup organization have noted their intention to have three GC32 catamarans ready to race as part of Cowes Week in a recent press release (reproduced below). It's a good chance to check out these impressive foiling one design catamarans if you are in the local area. The Great Cup are putting in place a circuit to provide tight one design racing with the last event being held in Lake Traunsee in Austria.
State of the art GC32 catamarans to make their UK debut at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
While America’s Cup racing is taking place in San Francisco aboard the extraordinary 40+ knot AC72 catamarans, visitors to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week will get a taste of state of the art catamaran racing as the Great Cup makes its UK debut during the world’s most famous sailboat regatta.
The Great Cup, a new circuit due to launch properly in 2014, is raced in latest generation GC32 one design catamarans. These have been designed by foil expert and fluid mechanics PhD Martin Fischer, designer of several World Championship winning F18 dinghy catamarans such as the Phantom, as well as the foils on Franck Cammas’ Volvo Ocean Race victor, Groupama.
These 10m long by 6m wide catamarans are built by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai and feature reverse ‘Dreadnought’ bows, L-profile rudders and unique double S-shaped daggerboards, with control lines to alter their pitch.
To get technical momentarily - the daggerboards are not raised and lowered between tacks, but are always either fully or partially down. Fully lowered, the daggerboards provide maximum area to prevent leeway when sailing upwind. Uniquely, in this configuration the pitch of the windward board can be altered thereby pulling the weather hull down and creating extra righting moment (a feature banned on AC72s). When off the wind the boards are raised slightly. This causes their surface area to be reduced and, thanks to their double-S shape, the boards to become angled in, providing vertical lift.
Three GC32s will be competing in the Multihull class at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.
Spax Solutions is being campaigned by Frenchman Laurent Lenne, creator of the Great Cup and the GC32 catamaran. While he now runs his quality management company in Amsterdam, Lenne spent his formative years studying yacht design in Southampton. “I am really exciting to bring this new class to Cowes Week,” he says. “It has been years since I last sailed on the Solent, but I have great memories of it and I am looking forward to some exciting sailing there.”
Racing with Lenne will be his right hand man in the Great Cup, Australian former Tornado sailor Andrew Macpherson, plus Swedish Volvo Ocean Race sailor Mikael Lundh and young New Zealand match racer and former China Team AC45 crewman James Williamson.
An all-British GC32 crew will be racing on Time on the Water, named after the company run by former Team GBR Olympic Tornado sailor and Extreme 40 helmsman Hugh Styles. On board with Styles, who is today coach of British Laser Radial ace Ali Young, will be other ex-Team GBR squad members, 470 sailor Richard Mason and 49er crew Rick Peacock, plus catamaran expert Adam Piggott.
“It's great to bring such a cutting edge technology catamaran to the UK,” enthuses Styles. “I’m really looking forward to steaming down the Solent at 27 knots. Cowes will be a great venue to showcase the boat in conventional Solent course racing. Plus the GC32, like the X40, can race with a fifth man on board, so in the afternoon we can share experience with any guests who are lucky enough to have a go.”
Another strong contender will be Flavio Marazzi’s Marwin team. Marazzi is making his transition to catamarans having previously represented his native Switzerland in the Star class at both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. Also racing on board is Swiss 470 turned Nacra 17 Olympic catamaran sailor Matías Bühler, Diego Stefani from Uruguay and France’s Nicolas Heintz.
“I'm looking forward to my first Cowes Week and the first international appearance of the GC32 class in a traditional regatta on the open water,” says Marazzi. “We also feel ready to test the boat in windy and choppy conditions in the Solent. The regatta will show that catamaran sailing can be indeed a lot of fun for sailors, guests AND spectators.”
The first ever regatta for the Great Cup was held during Allianz Traunsee Race Week on Lake Traunsee in Austria in May, and the boats have since competed in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the foremost event on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. As Marazzi states, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week will be the first ever occasion the GC32s have raced on ‘the sea’. The crews are looking forward to racing them in some more lively conditions than they have seen to date. At full throttle the boats are capable of sailing in excess of 30 knots.
The GC32s will be competing in the Multihull class at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week over the final four days - Wednesday until Saturday (7th-10th August). While they will sail the one race per day with the Multihull class, if conditions allow they may hold additional racing informally elsewhere on the Solent or sail around the Isle of Wight afterwards.
State of the art GC32 catamarans to make their UK debut at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
The Great Cup, a new circuit due to launch properly in 2014, is raced in latest generation GC32 one design catamarans. These have been designed by foil expert and fluid mechanics PhD Martin Fischer, designer of several World Championship winning F18 dinghy catamarans such as the Phantom, as well as the foils on Franck Cammas’ Volvo Ocean Race victor, Groupama.
These 10m long by 6m wide catamarans are built by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai and feature reverse ‘Dreadnought’ bows, L-profile rudders and unique double S-shaped daggerboards, with control lines to alter their pitch.
To get technical momentarily - the daggerboards are not raised and lowered between tacks, but are always either fully or partially down. Fully lowered, the daggerboards provide maximum area to prevent leeway when sailing upwind. Uniquely, in this configuration the pitch of the windward board can be altered thereby pulling the weather hull down and creating extra righting moment (a feature banned on AC72s). When off the wind the boards are raised slightly. This causes their surface area to be reduced and, thanks to their double-S shape, the boards to become angled in, providing vertical lift.
Three GC32s will be competing in the Multihull class at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.
Spax Solutions is being campaigned by Frenchman Laurent Lenne, creator of the Great Cup and the GC32 catamaran. While he now runs his quality management company in Amsterdam, Lenne spent his formative years studying yacht design in Southampton. “I am really exciting to bring this new class to Cowes Week,” he says. “It has been years since I last sailed on the Solent, but I have great memories of it and I am looking forward to some exciting sailing there.”
Racing with Lenne will be his right hand man in the Great Cup, Australian former Tornado sailor Andrew Macpherson, plus Swedish Volvo Ocean Race sailor Mikael Lundh and young New Zealand match racer and former China Team AC45 crewman James Williamson.
An all-British GC32 crew will be racing on Time on the Water, named after the company run by former Team GBR Olympic Tornado sailor and Extreme 40 helmsman Hugh Styles. On board with Styles, who is today coach of British Laser Radial ace Ali Young, will be other ex-Team GBR squad members, 470 sailor Richard Mason and 49er crew Rick Peacock, plus catamaran expert Adam Piggott.
“It's great to bring such a cutting edge technology catamaran to the UK,” enthuses Styles. “I’m really looking forward to steaming down the Solent at 27 knots. Cowes will be a great venue to showcase the boat in conventional Solent course racing. Plus the GC32, like the X40, can race with a fifth man on board, so in the afternoon we can share experience with any guests who are lucky enough to have a go.”
Another strong contender will be Flavio Marazzi’s Marwin team. Marazzi is making his transition to catamarans having previously represented his native Switzerland in the Star class at both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. Also racing on board is Swiss 470 turned Nacra 17 Olympic catamaran sailor Matías Bühler, Diego Stefani from Uruguay and France’s Nicolas Heintz.
“I'm looking forward to my first Cowes Week and the first international appearance of the GC32 class in a traditional regatta on the open water,” says Marazzi. “We also feel ready to test the boat in windy and choppy conditions in the Solent. The regatta will show that catamaran sailing can be indeed a lot of fun for sailors, guests AND spectators.”
The first ever regatta for the Great Cup was held during Allianz Traunsee Race Week on Lake Traunsee in Austria in May, and the boats have since competed in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the foremost event on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. As Marazzi states, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week will be the first ever occasion the GC32s have raced on ‘the sea’. The crews are looking forward to racing them in some more lively conditions than they have seen to date. At full throttle the boats are capable of sailing in excess of 30 knots.
The GC32s will be competing in the Multihull class at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week over the final four days - Wednesday until Saturday (7th-10th August). While they will sail the one race per day with the Multihull class, if conditions allow they may hold additional racing informally elsewhere on the Solent or sail around the Isle of Wight afterwards.
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| GC32 Catamarans racing, photo courtesy the Great Cup/Christopher Launay |
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