A-Cat Takapuna Worlds: Research Lab

Above: Vid still with Mischa foiling from Bruce Mahoney’s DNA helmet cam (foiling too), he blocked sharing, so go to YT to watch it youtube.com/watch?v=BHdtSziPCfU
Mischa is also testing a Windsurfing style boom with this low foot main combo (left pic):
“Takapuna New Zealand. Now 12 days here did some awesome sailing hours. Yesterday we had a beautiful 14 to 18kn of wind clear blue sky lots of great guys to sail with. Had my boat up on the J foils and made some serious ground. Experienced my first upwind foiling on the A cat and actually was a good mode to have.
Sail to the deck, windsurf boom and flap to dive trough.??”

Landy and others are also playing with the “insert from the top” rule (daggercase photo left).
Fair to say he did warned that these kind of workaround were going to arise. Lets see if they end using these new solutions that are being tested right now at Takapuna.

But as Arno Terra remarked several times, the limited sail power and platform width of the A-Cat does not provides a so efficient foiling solution a la FP, and Mischa’s comments at Dna blog on the sailing ability playing a key part on maintaining air time are right on the spot in my view at this moment. The Dna Js are flying but still waiting to win a major event.

In Punta del Este the local guys achieved flying in 18knots downwind and went nuts. In some weeks I will have the chance to go for a flight myself on the Dnas.

The Expolder team at Takapuna is going to be pretty strong, I can confirm Ashby is testing one and the activity is quite intense within all camps.

If they end having mixed weather conditions and no +20-25knots every day as the last Worlds, I think the the most proven setups will overcome any new last minute development. Although this current R&D will set the base for future more efficient foiling racing setups.

Images Mischa Heemskerk / DNA Blog. Check PJ report at dnacat.blogspot.com . Mischa’s comments at facebook.com/mischa.heemskerk.3
Worlds Official website sailingeventstakapuna.com/webpages/a-class-catamaran-world-championship/