There was a time in America's Cup history when maximum energy was exerted by the Defender to defeat their Challengers. But these are now friendlier times,as is reported in this update from Matt Knighton, Communications Director for SoftBank Team Japan...
America’s Cup challenger SoftBank Team Japan spared miniature time hitting the water in 2016 sailing for the first time their new AC45 Sport boat on the powerful Sound in Bermuda this past weekend.
The launch of this new testing platform acquired from ORACLE TEAM USA marks a new phase in the design race for the team who, or remarkably,began their America’s Cup challenge less than 8 months ago.“In May it was Fuku and myself and now here we are with over 30 people on the team," said team CEO and skipper Dean Barker. “It’s kind to see all the planning taking shape into something we can touch and feel. You need to start somewhere and that starting point was today for us.”The AC45 Sport boat is a customized next-generation version of the one-design AC45F the team races in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. Essentially a testing platform to prove new technology and design, and the AC45 Sport features hydraulics and control systems that allow the sailors greater command of the wing sail and foils that help the yacht reach speeds of over 40 mph.The data and performance analysis collected from this new test boat will directly impact the design of the team’s future 15-meter AC lesson race yacht – the new lesson of boat the team will build in late 2016 that will be raced in the 2017 America’s Cup.“We’re very lucky to contain access to the amazing technology in the Oracle design package. The level and skill of the team there is indisputable. For us it’s a powerful starting point and anything that we can acquire,learn, and develop from them gives us a powerful opportunity to be successful. We just contain to perform sure we’re structured in our approach and use the time we contain to our advantage." - Read
Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com