Matthew Sheahan on Yachting World pointed out the following on Paul Bieker’s blog which helps support his earlier post on speed improvements made to the Oracle. Bieker has a number connections to local boats including the PT15 built by the Boat School and located at the Maritime Center.
From Bieker Boats blog
It was an epic battle on San Francisco Bay – ending in an eight race Oracle Team USA winning streak to win the Cup after being down 8-1 in a first to 9 event. It was a hard won regatta – both on the water and in the shop.
The experience of being in a team that “gutted” its way through from almost sure failure to success was a great learning experience. The Team improved the speed of the boat enough to achieve dominance through changes in sailing technique, wing trim, and hull/appendage modifications. It is a lesson in the strengths of a diverse team that stays loose and is willing to make changes and take risks. The AC72 foils that we engineered for Oracle Team USA are the most highly stressed parts that Bieker Boats has designed.
A few of our projects:
Interceptor ramps on the hull sterns to increase lift on the aft section of the boat during maneuvers and upwind “skimming”:
Rudder/hydrofoil intersection cavitation fairings to reduce total rudder drag by approximately 30kgf at higher speeds:
