Oracle Team USA’s AC50 Touched Water In Bermuda
Oracle team USA for America’s cup sailed their new boat christened ‘17’ touched the water for the first time in Bermuda.
After the training session, the skipper Jimmy Spithill said that the team had a successful day and the first impressions of the boat were very good and everyone in the team is happy with it.
On its first sail, the team completed the preliminary performances and the necessary safety tests taking four hours. The skipper added that they had an extended training session on the first sail. According to Jimmy Spithill, it was the perfect day for the first sail with 10-12 knots. The team was able to make full advantage of the condition and work out all the tactics.
It took the effort of 15 designers and more than 50 boat builders to design and construct ‘17’. 85,000 man hours were needed to build the boat. The in-house team was supported by partners like Oracle, BMW, Parker, Airbus, and Yanmar in providing technical expertise. (more…)
