[thunderbrick]

I don't know much about sailing, but the America's Cup makes for exciting TV watching, especially when the alternative is the Bungles and Bears.   

The boat-to-boat photography was spectacular and the way those massive boats ride off the water is amazing!  The land-based long TV lenses really make great video images. 

[barrows]

yup, grew up sailing, and this AC in these boats is really incredible...

[carusoracer]

The Oracle Team USA is really hot right now. Too bad they were at a (two) delta right off the bat.

Today is another telling day, do or die scenario.  Just keep winning!

[richidoo]

AC is my favorite sport. It's like being born on leapyear.   But I am loving this series.

Oracle looks to be faster in all modes now, and afterguard is finally thinking clearly. What a comeback!

Sad to see the great Kostecki flame out like that, but he was more of a problem than just bad calls. The vibe on the boat improved dramatically as soon as he was off.

The Louis Vuitton losers are complaining that these big winged cats are too complex and too expensive, and may not be seen again if NZ wins. But Barker says they are awesome and this is the future of AC, so time will tell. If Oracle wins it, the big cats will stay. While I love watching them sail, I do miss those beautiful monohulls and the sail handling, spinakers and the looooong races. Remember when race time limit was 4 hours? haha Now they can finish a race in 25 minutes.

I am surprised there is as much close quarter match racing as there is, at starts and upwind.  There is no downwind drag racing like the monos though, the cats jibe away asap. booooo

The coolest thing to me is seeing them accelerate after 3rd mark. That where the races are won. If you are more than 5 seconds behind at 3 you've lost.

[DTB300]

Love watching them up on their foils....amazing boats.   So fast, yet so nimble.

[dmatt]

I love this coverage.  Being a sailor, I enjoyed the monohull racing as well, but I have to say the combination of boats (high speed), the course/venue, and the technology brought from other sports (on board audio and video, overlayed virtual laylanes, start/finish lines, wind and current direction and speed) has made this a lot of fun to watch even for the non-sailors in my family.  Add the drama of a comeback, and it is great TV.

Plus, right after the NBC broadcast, the races are posted without commercials on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasCup
Now I can watch in HD when I have time.

[carusoracer]

This will be a truly epic race. Regardless of the outcome. Wow what a great series

I can't imagine going 50+ Knots in a sailboat. 

[golfugh]

Wow 8 in a row!  US wins the whole thing on the 17th race.  NZ has got to be upset after winning 8 of the first 11.

I really enjoyed the new "boats," added a lot of speed and entertainment value to the whole thing.  Although I love the old days.

[Sonny]

I am local but have to work...I would have liked to go...
But it's fixed...to draw attention and hype to the sport I bet...since they only had 3 challengers at the beginning.

[SoCalWJS]

I am local but have to work...I would have liked to go...
But it's fixed...to draw attention and hype to the sport I bet...since they only had 3 challengers at the beginning.

I wouldn't be overly shocked that Oracle held back to make it exciting, but to let themselves be down 8-1? 

It does seem like it's gotten so expensive, only a few of the best financed teams can really compete.

[barrows]

I am local but have to work...I would have liked to go...
But it's fixed...to draw attention and hype to the sport I bet...since they only had 3 challengers at the beginning.

That is nonsense.  anyone is open to challenge if you have the $$$, problem is, it is very, very, very expensive. 

Most amazing comeback ever in sporting history!  Way to go team Oracle.

[audiogoober]

That is nonsense.  anyone is open to challenge if you have the $$$, problem is, it is very, very, very expensive. 

Most amazing comeback ever in sporting history!  Way to go team Oracle.

Totally agree with you.....nonsense. Watch the interview with Dean Barker (New Zealand's skipper) after he lost and tell me that was fixed....no way.

Super expensive and the best comeback ever. WoHoo!

[carusoracer]

That was exciting stuff for sure! Oracle Team USA wins 
Hats off the entire team. Whatever the designers and engineers found was pretty darn significant. Weight was a factor but its got to be in the foils. Oracle could simply pop up and start foling much quicker than 10 days ago. The coolest thing was watching both of those boats doing wheelies  
The fastest I've ever gone is 16-18 knots and that was crazy fast in a monohull. My boat tops out at 10.50 knots downwind and that was at the wind limit of the boat, and I'm mean wind limit

Dean Barker was very classy at all times as was his entire team.

[avahifi]

It it was kinda like watching little water bugs skim across a pond surface.  Boy those buggers could really go.  Not your grandpa's America's Cups yachets droning along at a fast walking pace.  These guys can make 70 mph or more.  They are as close to normal boat racing as Formula One is to SCCA class minislugs.  Pretty surprising.

Anyone have a good link about the details of how those darn things work and what all the cranks are for?  I am pretty sure the guys cranking like crazy were not powering propellers. 

Franj

[dmatt]

Anyone have a good link about the details of how those darn things work and what all the cranks are for?  I am pretty sure the guys cranking like crazy were not powering propellers. 

Franj

Here is a good overview from Sail magazine.  But even though it was published this June, I think it is not up-to-the-minute because it stated that the cats couldn't foil upwind and I thought they were doing that in the races.

http://www.sailmagazine.com/cup-watch/ac34-anatomy-ac72

The cranks (coffee grinders) are used for supplying power to the mechanical winches and to pressurize the hydraulics that adjust sail trim and foil trim