New events to help shape the future of yachting

30 Nov 2017

More than 270 people attended the 2017 Yacht Racing Forum

More than 270 delegates and experts discussed major yachting opportunities and challenges at the the 2017 Yacht Racing Forum.

Giving the keynote speech at the event in Aarhus, Denmark, Andy Claughton, former chief technology officer of Land Rover BAR, said he was not a fan of the ‘slave ships’ in the America’s Cup, nor of the one-design elements of the Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

However, others suggested it would be better to have one-designs in a commercially viable Volvo Ocean Race than no race at all.

Olympic keelboat race

Gary Jobson laid out the proposal for a showcase event, a 300-nautical mile non-stop offshore keelboat race for a two-person mixed crew in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There is also a plan to host an Offshore World Championship starting in 2019, again for a two-person mixed team.

French delegates discussed plans for a series of events for giant 100ft-plus high-performance Ultime Class multihulls.

The panel also showed excitement about the radical design of a foiling monohull by Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup.

ESailing Championship

World Sailing president Kim Andersen, explained the rationale behind the first official eSailing World Championship, which will enable people of all ages to compete online against each other.

Highlights of the Design and Technology Symposium included developments in foiling applications, control systems using artificial intelligence and sustainable solutions through composite technology.

via Boating Business | New events to help shape the future of yachting.