Extreme 90
Tornado Sport, Morrelli & Melvin and Marstrom have teamed up on the Extreme 90. When Tornado Sport first came out with the Extreme 40 there were doubters everywhere, but look at what it has become!
The idea is not dead for a multi in the next Cup. Mascalzone Latino didn’t rule it out in a Sailing Anarchy interview and BMW/Oracle hasn’t either.
In my opinion, a viable multihull for the cup is a box rule of about 65 feet. I think the loads on a 90 foot boat are too high. I talked to a BMW/Oracle grinder, who told me after trimming the main, traveler, gennaker, rig cant and to pull the boards it took eight minutes from tack to tack to get the boat up to speed.
No friggin engine, of course.
A viable cup boat would need a jib without a bobstay. We saw USA 17 have a problem getting into irons because they had to furl the jib around the bobstay. Of course, getting that bow around quickly is so important in match racing.
Wings are the future, we know that. However, storage for multiple teams may be an issue. 20 on moorings could be a bit of a hassle to say the least. It’s enough of a step up for the cup to have cats or tris without wings.
It HAS to be able to sail in 20 knots. We’ve never seen Cup boats reef, but why not make that an option?
What is the best boat for the next cup? Larry and Vincenzo know this AC had the most interest from the US and Italy in recent Cup history. How can we take a step back to lead sleds? They are not what will keep fans interested in the Cup. Let’s keep it exciting, whether a tri or cats. Is there a way to make monos more exciting using current cutting edge technology? You can post your opinions here. Check out my Extreme 90 gallery. All photos copyright Morrelli & Melvin.
