Select to expand quoteChris_M said..
Cheers guys - Yeah many gutted looking people around work today, however, most seem to accept that it was rich man vs rich man, rather than nation vs nation.
I gotta say, I am surprised at the level of support for the kiwi boat on this forum, I was thinking that with Spithill as the skipper you lot would be Oracle all the way!
Anyhoo, I hope that Dirty Larry is happy with his shiny little trophy....it only cost him about a billion hahahahahha
PS whats the story with the automatic control on the foils???? I'd like to know how that got allowed (I mean it must run on stored power right? Its electronic!!!!)
My guess is the last three cups Oracles burnt through just over 1 billion that tri wasn't cheep (and they broke a wing on it) 2 AC monos, 2 AC 45's (or was it three), 2 AC 70 cats, support boats, spy/shadow boats, set up, people, lawyers.
I think the biggest thing for the next cup now that they've proven people will come out and watch which makes it easier to sell to sponsors is to get the cost down. This cup was 10 x more expensive than the mono hull cups.
The hydraulic power used is pressurised by the grinders, saw the set up on RAN once - is pretty cool
So now what happens to the boats they used? scrap or what? Looks an awfull wast of great boats if they now have no further use for the winning and loosing boats as well as all the seconders, and thirders sitting in doc as back ups.
They any good for other locations, or is the location they sailed on just right for this style. ?
Select to expand quotecRAZY Canuk said..
My guess is the last three cups Oracles burnt through just over 1 billion that tri wasn't cheep
This money could be also treated as well spent on R&D . Research and development.
If foiling and wings could be only scaled up 100 times and fully automated that mean completely new era for leisure cruise crafts and maybe commercial freighters too.
We may have totally emission free green cruise ships travelling at 40 ktn or container ships that doesn't consume oil to run engines.
Once it was a case and now again sail powered ships could travel across the world.
Imagine monster ship at the size of football field complete covered with solar panels and hundreds of sail /wings skimming on 10 -15 meters foils above ocean waves. 
The last set of of AC boats generally get used as training boats for the next cup or where a team folds they sell the boats and info to a new team/highest bidder. The older mono hulls can be found in half a dozen places either used for tours or racing (sometimes both).
"Wing" sails can be found on pleasure craft, but their not really suitable for the purpose, hard for moorage, can't reef, expensive to build/maintain/repair. And their generally not two element rigs.
Wouldn't be good on cargo ships - theirs no real place to put them, longer trip times, get in the way of cranes. LNG ships are a better option IMO.
Have a peek at the little Americas cup (C class) worlds which is on right now if you liked the AC72's
The kiwis never agreed to take the day of it was in the rules and the yanks used their wildcard on the second race of that day on
Nothing the kiwis could do
