The “C” class championship starts today in Switzerland. Dubbed the “Little America’s Cup” Far more interesting than it’s big brother. This continues to be a favorite class of mine. Click on the link to go to the site and see what I mean. Steve Clark probably saved the class a few years ago and has fostered it ever since.
Wing Sails are not as new as one might think. The first time I saw one in use was Patient Lady; the “C” class catamaran belonging to Tony Di Mauro in 1978. The technology only improved from there. There should be little question that the genesis of the modern cats with wing sails started here.
International C Class Catamaran Championship -Hydros Walkthrough with Mischa and Bastiaan from CClassCats on Vimeo.
The “C” Class catamarans concluded their championship recently in Falmouth UK. This is where the real progress is made. They were foiling and using wing sails long before anyone.
This is a clip put together by Sailing Anarchy. They manage to do such a good job.
I will add that I had a conversation with Bob Fisher, while he was here watching the “C-class cats, that leads me to believe that the words “Little America”s Cup were first used in the sixties. This would, I believe make it a legitimate phrase.
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| harbour court august 26 2010 |
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| cogito rig in ruins |
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| the french-patient lady iv |
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| the start |
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| canaan (fred eaton/magnus clarke) |
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| alpha (glenn ashby/james spithill) |
Yesterday saw the destruction of “Cogito’s” rig. The French capsized on the way out to the start today and towed back to the dock missing all the races today. “Canaan” won the three races, followed by “Alpha”
This regatta has attracted a lot of attention. Most of the designers and project managers for the potential America’s Cup syndicates have come to look. In 2004 the last time this event was on Narragansett Bay it was a lonely site.
Steve Killing who designed three of the boats here(Canaan,Alpha,Orion) should feel proud; his boats are showing great form.
This is truly a developmental platform that is exciting; the possibilities for exploring speed are almost limitless.
