Sailing News

How I came to love the AC72

Old new comaro

Prime example of “old looks better than new” for me.

Quite honestly, I have never been a big fan of new. Don’t get me wrong, I like the technology of new, but the esthetics of new have always left me more than a bit flat. I am a big fan of safety and innovation – it’s just the way it looks. Sometimes I feel we have lost our way.

So, when the 34th America’s Cup was gearing up I was pretty sad to see the beauty of the monohulls that I have loved my entire life being relegated to the past. But maybe it’s a perception problem. When I picture catamarans, my mind has a tendency to flash back to an archetype: Kon-Tiki, lash a few logs together and float out to sea. Beauty? No. Get you there? Yes.

old new building

Old beats new…

So, I just signed the Cup off. I thought it was a cat race headed by a group of megalomaniacs who wanted to see how fast they could sail a couple of skimming logs through the water with an airplane wing. And, I thought, since I have seen esthetics decline my whole life, that I was just witness to more of the same – stripped down, carbon fiber, artlessness.

Then the danger aspect. These things seemed radically unstable. The crew was required to wear body armor and helmets. This had nothing to do with what I know about sailing.

Until…

We (our national team) screwed up. We did something underhanded and got caught. And, I thought to myself, we are cheating – we are nervous. This is not going to be a blow-out if the our guys are loading illegal weight into the king-post to eek out a little more.

Whack!

Now we are down by two races and need to win them back just to get to zero. Whoa, I’m paying more attention now. There seems to be a narrative.

old new home

Old beats new…

These AC72 that looked so unattractive to me before now gave me new perspective as they rolled out of the gate. There was more to this race than just monolithic boats going fast. And, ever so slowly I began to see them as beautiful. They offered a new sense of sailing; something familiar yet very new.

And now that the Cup hangs in the balance with the Kiwis only one race away from ending our hopes, I am saddened to think I will only be able to replay the videos to enjoy the beauty of the AC72.