Yes, the leeward hull moves up and down with the waves and the other one remains steady. And on 2:50 both hulls seems to point in different directions.
Flexibility?

I think it's safe to assume that Oracle has determined that platform flex is not that big of a deal. It seemed that way with the big trimaran too. The other teams have gone to great lengths with the posts and rigging to stiffen up the platforms at the cost of weight and wind drag...better or worse? dunno.

Very exciting. And very very interesting. On small boats (under ~30') the moto has always been stiffer is faster. It seems the bigger the boat and the faster you go some give might be faster (lighter), or at least your boat might not blow up (ala nomex cores in the southern ocean)? Definitely be exciting to watch the races, that is for sure!

I've always wondered about that...I know it certainly feels better when the boat is rigid through the waves....but is it faster? People talk about energy lost when a wave makes the platform flex but it is kinda like a spring - you'll get a good bit of that "energy" back on the return...whether that's beneficial or not, I have no idea.

From the '70's onward the Tornado got faster the stiffer it became.
Before the Marstrom, new Tornado's were fast.
Finally Marstrom made the sfiffest Tornado with the autoclave technology,
and changing the rear beam to the largest size under class rules helped too.
Marstrom would not have gone to a larger (& stiffer) rear beam if it made the boat slower.

I think the flex is used as a foil control, not faster just a way to get around the "no manual control" rule.

With foiling its all about light weight, is the extra stiffness on this sort of length of boat going to impede any chance of it foiling, due to the extra weight of the construction needed to prevent twist.

surprise surprise

it seems that fluttering

was tearing the boat apart...

"What we have is something that's trying to act like a plane," he told a luncheon audience at the Golden Gate Yacht Club, adding that Oracle's boat needed extensive repairs after foiling at high speed.

last sentence here

http://www.mercurynews.com/californ...ben-ainslie-leads-strong-showing-opening

Winner winner chicken dinner.

yikes....

Didn't i see (here) they are only allowed 30 days of training? does all this load testing count towards that 30 days or is that for "race training" whatever/if there is a difference

How would flex be controlling the foiling? They can move the daggers tilting forward or back to control via a ram. I can't see how the boat flex would help them in any way.

I think that The emirates video said any more than 5 minutes sailing untethered counted as a day.

untethered?

From the towboat.

Set your DVR or watch it this Sunday on NBCSN or VERSUS at 2:30 PM EST.
The Road to the America's Cup - Oracle Team USA
hosted by non other than . . .
you guessed it, our AC genius Todd Harris.

"Tag along as WOAS takes an exclusive inside look at the design and construction of the epic 72-foot catamaran the team will be charging into battle with at the 34th Americas Cup in September 2013. Remarkable feats of engineering and copious amounts of training aren't all that it takes to make an America's Cup champion. It also takes heart and perseverance which, luckily, Oracle Team USA has in abundance."

just happened

Ouch

More

abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=8849852#&cmp=twi-kgo-article-8849852

Damn!