BMW Oracle Racing 90
Encyclopedia
USA-17 is a 90 ft (27.4 m) LWL
, 90 ft (27.4 m) beam, sloop rigged one-off racing sail trimaran built by the USA sailing team BMW Oracle Racing
for use in a Deed of Gift challenge for the 33rd
America's Cup
. Designed by VPLP
Yacht Design with consultation from Franck Cammas
and his Groupama multi-hull sailing team, BOR90 is very light for her size being constructed almost entirely out of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and exhibits very high performance being able to sail at 2.0 to 2.5 times the true wind speed (though some rumors have claimed 4× TWS). She can apparently sail at 20 degrees off the apparent wind. The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind
she generates is only 5-6 degrees different to that when she is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind. An explanation of this phenomenon can be found in the article on sailing faster than the wind
.
In March 2009, USA (then referred to as BOR90) was pulled from the water for extensive modification in BMW Oracle Racing's San Diego shop. She emerged in early July, 2009, featuring wave-piercing
hulls and other modifications. She was further modified subsequently, in particular in October 2009 to add an engine to power hydraulic winches.
On November 8, 2009, the team announced that a rigid sail wing had been built for the yacht. The wing was initially 190 feet (57.9 m) tall and some 80 percent larger than the wing of a Boeing 747
airplane; it was later extended to 223 feet (68 m). The wing has a very high aspect ratio, meaning that it is very tall and narrow. It can change camber
to adjust lift
in order to optimize performance. The wing consists of two main elements, separated by a vertical slot through which air can flow. The rear element is made up of several separate sections, whose angle can be adjusted separately, much like the flaps
on an airplane's wing
. Thus the lift of the sail can be controlled very finely, both overall, and for each section.
The wing is more efficient than a traditional soft-sail rig setup. On November 10, BMW reported that they hit 32 miles per hour (26.3 kn) boat speed in a 10 knot reported wind speed. During the first race of the 2010 America's Cup, USA was able to sail upwind faster than Alinghi 5
even without a jib
. Since the sail area of USA's wing is much smaller than the sail area of Alinghi's mainsail and jib combined, it is clear that the rigid wing is much more efficient than even high-performance traditional sails.
. USA was behind 1:27 at the start, but was ahead by 3:21 at the windward mark and by about 9 minutes at the finish. Her official finish time was 15:28 ahead of the loser because Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having failed to stay clear at the start.
Winds were 5-10 knots. USA reached the windward mark in 1h29, so her velocity made good
was about 13.5 knots, about 1.8 times wind speed. USA took 63 minutes to reach the downwind mark, so her velocity made good downwind was about 19 knots, about 2.5 times wind speed.
The measured wind velocity is taken at near sea level, and does not account for effects of wind gradient with reported true wind speed of 15 knots at mast head height at over 60 metres http://www.fillmedia.com/americas-cup-2010-33rd-americas-cup-2010-race-2-live-stream-7730.htm. The measured sea-level wind direction shifted away from 180 degrees between the time of setting of the course and commencement of sailing of the downwind leg, by which time wind direction was reported to be at around 160 degrees. As such the ratio between downwind velocity made good
and wind speed is an approximation only.
On February 14, 2010, USA also won the second race, and thus the America's Cup, again by a considerable margin. USA was ahead by 0:24 at the start, by 0:28 at the windward mark, by 2:44 at the gybe mark, and by over 4 minutes at the finish. Her official finish time was 5:26 ahead of the defender because Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having entered the pre-start area too soon.
Winds were 7 to 8 knots. USA reached the windward mark in 59 minutes, so her velocity made good was about 13.2 knots, about 1.65 times wind speed. The course was a triangle, so the velocity made good downwind was only 11.5 knots, about 1.4 times wind speed. USA averaged 26.8 knots, about 3.35 times the wind speed, on the faster first triangular leg.
Observers stated that the rigid wing had given USA a decisive advantage.
Where Built: Core Builders, Anacortes, WA, USA
Architects: Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) and design team of Mike Drummond
Consultants: Franck Cammas
Hours to build: Over 130,000 hours as of August 2009
Overall Length: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Load Waterline Length: 90 feet (27.4 m) (measured at rest)
Waterline Length when Sailing: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Beam: 89.9 feet (27.4 m)
Displacement (weight): 16 tonne (racing weight)
Length of main hull: 90 feet (27.4 m)
Length of outlying hulls: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Beam of main hull: 6.92 feet (2.1 m)
Beam of outlying hulls: 4.33 feet (1.3 m)
Overall height of main hull: 7.5 feet (2.3 m)
Overall height of outlying hulls: 5.81 feet (1.8 m)
Mast height: 185 feet (56.4 m) (as of August 2009)
Mast weight: ~3.5 tonne
Where Built: Hall Spars, Bristol, RI, USA
Sails: (as of August 2009)
Wing height: 223 feet (68 m)(compared to 102 ft / 31 m length of a Boeing 747 wing and 143 ft / 43.5 m length of an Airbus A380 wing)
Wing chord: 10 feet (3 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m)
Wing width: 2 foot (0.6096 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m)
Wing surface area: 7000 square feet (650.3 m²)
Weight of wing: 7700 pounds (3,492.7 kg)
Comparison of 87–90 ft America's Cup contenders:
Waterline length
The Waterline length is a measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water...
, 90 ft (27.4 m) beam, sloop rigged one-off racing sail trimaran built by the USA sailing team BMW Oracle Racing
BMW Oracle Racing
Oracle Racing is an American sailboat racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America’s Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 - representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club....
for use in a Deed of Gift challenge for the 33rd
America's Cup (33rd edition)
The 33rd America's Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing was the subject of extensive court action and litigation, surpassing in acrimony even the controversial 1988 America's Cup...
America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
. Designed by VPLP
VPLP
Van Peteghem Lauriot-Prévost is a French based naval architectural firm founded by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, responsible for designing some of the worlds most innovative racing trimarans...
Yacht Design with consultation from Franck Cammas
Franck Cammas
Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing...
and his Groupama multi-hull sailing team, BOR90 is very light for her size being constructed almost entirely out of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and exhibits very high performance being able to sail at 2.0 to 2.5 times the true wind speed (though some rumors have claimed 4× TWS). She can apparently sail at 20 degrees off the apparent wind. The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind
Apparent wind
Apparent wind is the wind experienced by a moving object.-Definition of apparent wind:The Apparent wind is the wind experienced by an observer in motion and is the relative velocity of the wind in relation to the observer....
she generates is only 5-6 degrees different to that when she is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind. An explanation of this phenomenon can be found in the article on sailing faster than the wind
Sailing faster than the wind
Devices that are powered by sails can sail faster than the wind. Such devices cannot do this when sailing dead downwind using simple square sails that are set perpendicular to the wind, but they can achieve speeds greater than wind speed by setting sails at an angle to the wind and by using the...
.
In March 2009, USA (then referred to as BOR90) was pulled from the water for extensive modification in BMW Oracle Racing's San Diego shop. She emerged in early July, 2009, featuring wave-piercing
Wave-piercing
A wave-piercing boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced buoyancy in the forward portions.When a wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy means the hull pierces through the water rather than riding over the top - resulting in a smoother ride than traditional designs, and in diminished stress on...
hulls and other modifications. She was further modified subsequently, in particular in October 2009 to add an engine to power hydraulic winches.
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
airplane; it was later extended to 223 feet (68 m). The wing has a very high aspect ratio, meaning that it is very tall and narrow. It can change camber
Camber (aerodynamics)
Camber, in aeronautics and aeronautical engineering, is the asymmetry between the top and the bottom surfaces of an aerofoil. An aerofoil that is not cambered is called a symmetric aerofoil...
to adjust lift
Lift (force)
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...
in order to optimize performance. The wing consists of two main elements, separated by a vertical slot through which air can flow. The rear element is made up of several separate sections, whose angle can be adjusted separately, much like the flaps
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
on an airplane's wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
. Thus the lift of the sail can be controlled very finely, both overall, and for each section.
The wing is more efficient than a traditional soft-sail rig setup. On November 10, BMW reported that they hit 32 miles per hour (26.3 kn) boat speed in a 10 knot reported wind speed. During the first race of the 2010 America's Cup, USA was able to sail upwind faster than Alinghi 5
Alinghi 5
The Alinghi 5 is a LWL, beam sloop-rigged catamaran built by Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup.It was launched on 8 July 2009 being lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud by a Mil Mi-26 helicopter and carried thereby to Lake Geneva. It was subsequently carried to Genoa, Italy...
even without a jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
. Since the sail area of USA's wing is much smaller than the sail area of Alinghi's mainsail and jib combined, it is clear that the rigid wing is much more efficient than even high-performance traditional sails.
Racing results
The first race of the 2010 America's Cup took place on February 12, 2010. USA beat the defender, Alinghi 5Alinghi 5
The Alinghi 5 is a LWL, beam sloop-rigged catamaran built by Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup.It was launched on 8 July 2009 being lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud by a Mil Mi-26 helicopter and carried thereby to Lake Geneva. It was subsequently carried to Genoa, Italy...
. USA was behind 1:27 at the start, but was ahead by 3:21 at the windward mark and by about 9 minutes at the finish. Her official finish time was 15:28 ahead of the loser because Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having failed to stay clear at the start.
Winds were 5-10 knots. USA reached the windward mark in 1h29, so her velocity made good
Velocity made good
Velocity made good, or "vmg," is a term in sailing, and specifically yacht racing, that refers to the component of a sailboat's velocity that is in the direction of the next mark. The concept is useful in sailing, because a sailboat often cannot, or should not, sail directly to a mark to reach the...
was about 13.5 knots, about 1.8 times wind speed. USA took 63 minutes to reach the downwind mark, so her velocity made good downwind was about 19 knots, about 2.5 times wind speed.
The measured wind velocity is taken at near sea level, and does not account for effects of wind gradient with reported true wind speed of 15 knots at mast head height at over 60 metres http://www.fillmedia.com/americas-cup-2010-33rd-americas-cup-2010-race-2-live-stream-7730.htm. The measured sea-level wind direction shifted away from 180 degrees between the time of setting of the course and commencement of sailing of the downwind leg, by which time wind direction was reported to be at around 160 degrees. As such the ratio between downwind velocity made good
Velocity made good
Velocity made good, or "vmg," is a term in sailing, and specifically yacht racing, that refers to the component of a sailboat's velocity that is in the direction of the next mark. The concept is useful in sailing, because a sailboat often cannot, or should not, sail directly to a mark to reach the...
and wind speed is an approximation only.
On February 14, 2010, USA also won the second race, and thus the America's Cup, again by a considerable margin. USA was ahead by 0:24 at the start, by 0:28 at the windward mark, by 2:44 at the gybe mark, and by over 4 minutes at the finish. Her official finish time was 5:26 ahead of the defender because Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having entered the pre-start area too soon.
Winds were 7 to 8 knots. USA reached the windward mark in 59 minutes, so her velocity made good was about 13.2 knots, about 1.65 times wind speed. The course was a triangle, so the velocity made good downwind was only 11.5 knots, about 1.4 times wind speed. USA averaged 26.8 knots, about 3.35 times the wind speed, on the faster first triangular leg.
Observers stated that the rigid wing had given USA a decisive advantage.
Specifications
Boat Type: Trimaran of carbon composite constructionWhere Built: Core Builders, Anacortes, WA, USA
Architects: Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) and design team of Mike Drummond
Consultants: Franck Cammas
Franck Cammas
Franck Cammas is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, as well as a piano academy, Franck Cammas finally opted for a career in sailing...
Hours to build: Over 130,000 hours as of August 2009
Overall Length: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Load Waterline Length: 90 feet (27.4 m) (measured at rest)
Waterline Length when Sailing: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Beam: 89.9 feet (27.4 m)
Displacement (weight): 16 tonne (racing weight)
Length of main hull: 90 feet (27.4 m)
Length of outlying hulls: 113.3 feet (34.5 m)
Beam of main hull: 6.92 feet (2.1 m)
Beam of outlying hulls: 4.33 feet (1.3 m)
Overall height of main hull: 7.5 feet (2.3 m)
Overall height of outlying hulls: 5.81 feet (1.8 m)
Mast height: 185 feet (56.4 m) (as of August 2009)
Mast weight: ~3.5 tonne
Where Built: Hall Spars, Bristol, RI, USA
Sails: (as of August 2009)
- Mainsail: 6800 square feet (631.7 m²)
- Headsail: 6700 square feet (622.5 m²)
- Gennaker: 8400 square feet (780.4 m²)
Wing height: 223 feet (68 m)(compared to 102 ft / 31 m length of a Boeing 747 wing and 143 ft / 43.5 m length of an Airbus A380 wing)
Wing chord: 10 feet (3 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m)
Wing width: 2 foot (0.6096 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m)
Wing surface area: 7000 square feet (650.3 m²)
Weight of wing: 7700 pounds (3,492.7 kg)
Comparison of 87–90 ft America's Cup contenders:
| Year | LOA | LWL | Sail Area | Mast height | Displacement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Reliance (yacht) Reliance was the 1903 America's Cup defender, the fourth America's Cup defender from the famous designer Nat Herreshoff, and reportedly the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built.... |
1903 | 43.89 m (144 ft) | 27.43 m (90 ft) | 1501 m² (16,156.6 sq ft) | 67.05 m (220 ft) | 189 tons |
| Ranger Ranger (yacht) The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:... |
1937 | 41.15 m (135 ft) | 26.51 m (87 ft) | 701 m² (7,545.5 sq ft) | 46.98 m (154.1 ft) | 166 tons |
| KZ1 | 1988 1988 America's Cup The 1988 America's Cup was the twenty-eighth running of the America's Cup regatta, and was contested between the defender, San Diego Yacht Club represented by Stars & Stripes, and the challenger, the Mercury Bay Boating Club represented by KZ-1... |
36.57 m (120 ft) | 27.43 m (90 ft) | 627 m² (6,749 sq ft) | 46.78 m (153.5 ft) | 39 tons |
| USA-17 | 2010 | 34.5 m (113.2 ft) | 27.43 m (90 ft) | 1270 m² (13,670.2 sq ft) | 68 m (223.1 ft) | 17 tons |
External links
- BOR 90 Trials Bayshots Images
- BMW Oracle Racing official site
- VPLP Yacht Design
- Hundreds of images of the BOR 90
- ABC News Story on BOR and the BOR90 (video)
- CBS News Story on BOR and the BOR90 (video)
- http://www.americascup.com
- http://omegataupodcast.net/2011/07/71-oracle-racings-usa-17/ Podcast of technical interview with the designer