DDrift

Chapter 02 of 5

The Wing-Sail Revolution

Trading soft canvas for vertical airplane wings.

  1. The Shift

    Goodbye Canvas

    For 150 years, the Cup used soft fabric sails. Everything changed when engineers looked at the sky instead of the sea.

  2. Aerodynamics

    A Vertical Wing

    The modern America's Cup boat uses a rigid, carbon-fiber wing sail. It functions exactly like an airplane wing, just mounted vertically.

  3. Innovation

    The 2010 Disruptor

    BMW Oracle Racing shocked the world in the 33rd Cup by building a wing twice as tall as a Boeing 747's wing.

17 more cards in this chapter

Could you answer this?

Why are rigid wing-sails superior to traditional canvas sails?

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⛵ America's Cup

  1. 01The 1851 ChallengeHow the schooner America ignited a 170-year naval rivalry.
  2. 02The Wing-Sail RevolutionTrading soft canvas for vertical airplane wings.
  3. 03Hydrofoils: Flying on WaterLifting hulls above the waves to break the 50-knot barrier.
  4. 04The Grinders & CyclorsHuman power meets hydraulic pressure in the engine room.
  5. 05Design Rule Courtroom BattlesWhere lawyers and blueprints win the race before it starts.