Oracle Team USA's comeback and "Herbie."

[jviss]

Since the dramatic comeback of Oracle Team USA (OTUSA) v. Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) to win the Americas Cup there has been some talk in the NZ press about ETNZ suing OTUSA over OTUSA's use of am automatic foil trimming device, with technology coming from Boeing, said device being dubbed "Herbie."

I have been searching for more on this topic, mostly via google news, but kept coming up with the same stuff, mostly traced back to the New Zealand Herald. To their credit, ETNZ essentially repudiates this line.

I have read the AC72 class rule, and it is pretty friggin' clear that the use of any such automatic device - automatic anything is verboten. I direct teh interested readers attention to chapter 19, "MANUAL POWER AND STORED ENERGY," reproduced here:

19. MANUAL POWER AND STORED ENERGY
19.1 Only manual power (the force exerted by crew) or the effect of direct contact with wind and/or water shall be used for the adjustment of rigging, wing, soft sails, rudders and daggerboards.
19.2 The use of stored energy and non-manual power is prohibited, except:
(a) for small springs, shockcord, and similar devices;
(b) low pressure hydraulic or gas accumulators of less than 6 bar which provide back pressure to a hydraulic system to prevent cavitation, but do no significant work themselves;
(c) batteries to power electric bilge pumps, provided the total capacity of all pumps is not greater than 200 l/min; and
(d) batteries to power instruments, on board crew communication and ACRM media equipment; and
(e) for electrical operation of
(i) hydraulic valves. These operations shall only provide the input for the position of the valve;
(ii) drive clutches in winch systems.
The valves and drive clutches referred to in (i) and (ii) above, shall be commercially available and Competitors shall have had these approved by the Measurement Committee for use via an issued interpretation.
The operation for (i) and (ii) above, shall not receive external input from any source other than manual input. Any data acquisition system, associated sensors or electronics shall be physically separate and completely isolated from any electrical operation referred to in (i) and (ii) with the exception of the voltage supply. The manual input may latch the valve(s) or clutch(es), operate multiple valves or clutches, and /or provide variable position. Valves and clutches may be operated from multiple manual inputs.
These systems may be hard wired directly between the manual inputs and shall be hard wired between the manual inputs and the valve(s) or clutch(es). Wiring shall be clearly identifiable. Electrical energy used for this shall only be stored in batteries, including small capacitors.

I was still kind of curious, and somewhat upset about this whole thing, 'til gordonm over at c36IA.com posted this link:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Coutts-says-strategy-change-key-to-comeback-4847578.php

I'm curious as to what others think about this, or may have heard to supplement the story.

Thanks!

jv

 

[fstbttms]

Over at Sailing Anarchy, the entire theory of an SAS device on Oracle 17 has been debunked:

Firstly, both (Russell) Coutts and Tom Speer have stated clearly that there was no Stability Augmentation System used on Oracle.

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=151543&hl=


From Reuters:

(Dirk) Kramer on Saturday denied any use of computer-automated controls to manage the foils and stabilize the yacht. "Negative. No," he said.
The yacht had a stabilization system but it was operated by humans, Kramer said. "There's no computer driving any surfaces at all."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/29/us-sailing-americascup-boat-idUSBRE98S0ER20130929


It's beginning to look like the SAS controversy was actually a sour grapes smear campaign staged and promulgated by unhappy Kiwis.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I think it might be prudent to withhold judgment based solely on one denial until at least one objective party speaks.

 

[rufus1138]

do the yachts not get impounded and go through tech inspection?

 

[fstbttms]

I think it might be prudent to withhold judgment based solely on one denial until at least one objective party speaks.

The Oracle team have denied the SAS rumours and neither ETNZ nor anybody else connected with AC34 have accused them of using an illegal device. Further:

The rumours regarding a Stability Augmentation System originated on the Facebook page of a kiwi called Paul Wiggans https://www.facebook.../paul.wiggans.3, a mechanical engineer. It appears to have been based on speculation only with no inside knowledge of what systems Oracle actually used. It was then circulated to a bunch of gullible journos (including Clean) who were desperate to find a scapegoat for TNZ's loss. As a result it's now widely believed by the NZ public that Oracle won the Americas Cup by cheating.

 

[fstbttms]

do the yachts not get impounded and go through tech inspection?

The Measurement Committee responds to requests for Rules Interpretations, inspects the yachts during construction and upon completion to ensure compliance, issues certificates for each yacht, and inspects the boats during racing.

http://www.cupinfo.com/en/ac34-americas-cup-2013-documents-and-rules.php

 

[nolasafari]

Why wait until they were so far behind to turn it on? Oh! that is what that swtich is for.

 

[jviss]

do the yachts not get impounded and go through tech inspection?

"The full extent of what Oracle did to change that crucial speed equation is not yet clear. Modifications were made to multiple aspects of its AC72, from the hydrofoils to the wing sail that was its primary power source. And unlike Team New Zealand, Oracle sailed with a new measurement certificate — reflecting changes to its boat’s configuration — for every race as it searched relentlessly for incremental improvements."

from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/sports/oracle-completes-voyage-to-history-to-win-americas-cup.html?_r=0

I heard the commentators on the broadcast remarking that OTUSA got a new measurement certificate every day after their loss on day 3.

There is no way on earth that they could have installed an automatic anything and gotten it past the measurement committee, in my opinion.

 

[fstbttms]

More from Russell Coutts:

Sir Russell Coutts says the foil-adjusting technology rumoured to be the key to Oracle's comeback in the America's Cup was a figment of someone's imagination.

The Oracle chief executive said "Herbie" as it had been termed, was a beat-up.

"It would be illegal to have an automated system on board. It would not be allowed. The measurers inspected the boats before and after each day of use and they saw nothing.

It's amazing how some so-called knowledgeable people started to believe in stuff like that. There's simply no automation allowed under the rules."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11132657

 

[capta]

Can anyone honestly believe that with the Oracle team not only accused of cheating, but actually being caught and penalized, that the measurement committee wasn't all over any changes to that boat? Unless someone wants to accuse the measurement committee of being bought off, I sure would like to see an end to all this garbage.
It's over, TENZ lost. Next time they might actually have to race against an "All American America's Cup Challenge" team, and not even get a few races ahead.

 

[fstbttms]

From today's "Lectronic Latitude:

Did Oracle have an illegal, automatic Stability Augmentation System that made their cat easier to control than the Kiwi cat, as many have alleged? Not according to highly-respected journalist Matthew Sheahan of Yachting World, who had access to some pretty good sources.

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2013-09-30#.UknheIa9uSo

 

[Jared1048]

I have watched every single race on youtube and in no way do I think there was cheating involved. Oracle owned the starts nearly EVERYTIME. Spithill was a more aggressive driver and they didn't make a bunch of tactical blunders that the Kiwi's made.

To Dean's credit though they should of won the race with the time limit. They were minutes from winning the cup. I only see time limits being used to ensure a fast enough pace (> 2 knots boat speed maybe). They were clearly racing fast enough to make it interesting and not just drifting with current.

Who ever thinks they cheated should watch every single race in full before stating such acusations

 

[fstbttms]

Who ever thinks they cheated should watch every single race in full before stating such acusations

Kiwis have a reputation as being good sports and the ETNZ team certainly bear that out, but judging from the posts I've read in many sailing forums, there are a lot of their countrymen who are really bitter and were making excuses and calling out accusations long before they actually lost the regatta. Pretty shameful actually. I would have expected it of Americans but not New Zealanders.

 

[Ken Cross]

Interesting. My daughter lives in Auckland and she says all the locals think the Americans cheated. They are quite hostile right now.

Ken

 

[jibes138]

I think Spithill and his afterguard had better racing skills. Barker seemed to just rely on boat speed and when he didn't have an advantage didn't use good tactics to slow OTUSA down. The last race for instance he had the inside on the first mark and didn't take spithill out to the boundary and force him to almost stop. That is exactly what spithill did when he had the inside. Also at the start Barker didn't luff spithill and let him have clean air all the way up the first leg. I think the biggest difference was getting Kostecki off the boat who made serious errors in the beginning of the regatta.

 

[All U Get]

I only saw the final race and noted the difference in the trailing wakes. Getting the boat on its foils was the key. TENZ mostly couldn't get their boat high enough out of the water and left a muddled wake. That's my thought, hope the Kiwi's bounce back and figure it out.

All U Get

PS Will Herbie be in the WM Christmas catalog?

 

[Gunni]

Angus Phillips reported in the WaPo that OTUSA was "shipping in foils by the dozen" in an attempt to find lift and speed. What was abundantly clear was that the Oracle team learned to sail their AC72 in front of our eyes, race-by-race. Improving their team skills each day.

 

[rufus1138]

http://www.americascup.com/en/news/...-yacht-club-confirmed-as-challenger-of-record

moving on hopefully.

 

[Gunni]

http://www.americascup.com/en/news/...-yacht-club-confirmed-as-challenger-of-record

moving on hopefully.

Uh, oh! Mr. Ellison is going to have some employment competition for his Aussie strategist and helmsman.

 

[fstbttms]

Interesting. My daughter lives in Auckland and she says all the locals think the Americans cheated. They are quite hostile right now.

I have a facebook friend who lives in Wellington. While she is not particularly connected to the yachting community there, she says that the talk she is hearing is not so much about possible Oracle cheating but that it's a shame that the AC is a rich man's game, how it's too tech-heavy and how their boys put up such an amazing show. In her words, "NZ certainly got caught up in the fever when they were winning. Kiwi's have and love the David and Goliath complex that it obsesses over. Loss of an important rugby game will spill the country into mass depression, but people have easily moved on from a yachting loss."