Was checking out some shots of NZL 84 today, and she looks short and stuby to me.
opinions?
http://www.americascup.com/multimedia/images/img_traitees/2006/04/_img_6847_big.jpg
wooooooooow
that has to be a trick with the picture. but dan, i dont think they would have gone that short. did they put any information with the picture? i have seen pictures of oracle and nzl 84. they both seem the same lenght. I have not seen the new oracle boat, just out of the water. never in the water. anybody seen pictures of any boats?
that has to be a trick.
cougar
its not a trick…its just the way the pic was taken 
IMHO
Cougar check out this story from SA
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2006/oracle_aprilfools.htm
This is just my opinion so I could be wrong.
Timeline
[ul]
[li]march 28th - 87 arrives by cargo takes a two hour detour to the old bas and diapers from site[/li][li]march 31st ? 87 is christened[/li][li]April 3rd ? 87 flying 71?s sails, is seen testing against 76 flying 87?s sails (all the news people say its lame, all you have to do is look at the bowsprit)[/li][li]April 4th ? one of the boats hits an underwater obstacle during tow out and goes back to shed everyone assumes it is 76. [/ul] [/li]
Theory:
The yacht unloaded from the Russian cargo plane was USA 87. However during the 2 hour detour to the old Valencia yacht club, 87 was switched out for the re-worked 71 (had extensive work done to her a while back, but hasn?t been seen on the water in a long time.) with a bolt on bow sprit. The boat that was christened as 87 was actually 71.
All over the net people have photos from the April 3rd ?first sail?. What they actually have are photos of 71 flying 71 sails, testing against 76 flying 87?s sails.
This is how it all comes together supposedly on the 4th an oracle boat hit an underwater obstacle in the harbor during tow-out, and was taken back to base to be fixed. (http://bmworacleracing.com/en/4_bor/41_news/411_news/411_current.html?track.refer=/en/4_bor/4_home/4_home.4ml&track.type=hn)
They don?t say what boat hit the obstacle, or what base it was taken to (have not been able to find anything on the net that says). If questioned I bet they say it was 76 and they took it to the Valencia yacht club base, because it was closer or something like that.
They say they hit something hard enough to make the boat go backwards, and that an appendage was visibly damaged, yet they had it fixed and back in the water in under an hour. In reality I think they switched 76 out for 87. I mean Come on they spend more than an hour looking over the winches, if they hit something hard enough to damage an appendage, that boat would be in the shop for weeks.
So what does the leave us?
71 masquerading as 87, and 87 masquerading as 76.
Remember the old saying ?The best place to hide something is in plain sight??
I think Larry was paying attention.
The bullet came from the grassy knoll ! :crazy:
Interesting theory - how would we ever know “what really” happened and which boat is really going to be sailing??
Dan, I now have a HEADACHE!!!
To me it makes perfect sense, while every nitwit in Valencia with a telephoto lens is out snapping shots of 71 with a bowsprit slapped on, 87 is off getting tuned up. You wait and see, I bet Oracle has some kind of mysterious gear failure or something before act 10 so they can switch out 87 for 76.
also read on SA about some “special” keel…
yeah i heard about it about a month ago. twinn keels. side by side. sort of works like a canting keel thing. been tried before but never worked
cougar
I reckon this might tell a bit more of the story re; USA87 or is that 85 71 or whatever?
http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/2006/03/twin-keel-whats-deal.html
Tony
is it just me. or are the ac boats going short and stubby? in 2003 they were long and mean. this should get a discussion going. in 2003 we had a chance for rough water and high winds. so Hence the long boat, for as we all know . the longer the waterline . the higher the boat speed. this seems to me as a step back now. we are going shorter. then only thing I can come up with after talking to a friend( dan). the condition in the med might meen smother water. and lighter breeze. which basicly meens you can though away the longer bow. and now become short and stubby? I for one DONT like the look of the new oracle boat, or any of the new iacc style boats. i am waiting on pictures of alghini
cougar