America's Cup?

[John Sand]

Anyone interested? If you haven't seen it, you should. These are big sailboats dueling at 40mph and sailing above the surface of the water. Last time (2013) NZ led 8 races to 1 in a best of 17 before USA won 8 straight to keep the cup. I'll watch when I can.

[BlackDuck]

I don't watch it regularly, but have seen it in the past. It really is awesome to watch those guys work on those boats. It's amazing how quick they can change a sail to catch the wind just right.

[FedoraDave]

A friend of mine is a sailing enthusiast, and he's explained the rules and strategies of yacht racing to me. It's not just a matter of whose boat is faster; there's a point system, and you can get gigged for infractions. I couldn't completely understand all of it, but it's a fascinating thing to see.

[John Sand]

There are points in fleet racing, low score wins. In a five race series, five firsts would be five points, the lowest possible score. This is class racing, so there are no time allowances, first across wins. The finals will be match racing: one on one, winner take all.
I'm watching now, the boats and crew are smaller than last time. They have also mastered foiling upwind and down, potentially bringing tactics more into focus.
Edit: In this racing, which is a series of matches, high points win. Probably one point per win early on, maybe more later, but no points for losing.

[Dane]

I'm a traditionalist. 12 meter is what I was raised on. Things changed for me with the winged keel. After that it's multi hulls, wing sails... Technically amazing to watch on Youtube videos at lunch but it's not the Americas Cup to me.

[John Sand]

I liked the 12s too. But they weren't original either. AC has always been a development race, at the cutting edge. I believe that classic 12s still race, though I don't know if they match race. There is a fleet in Newport. I was aboard Intrepid once, only at the dock, but holding the wheel was still an amazing experience.