Air

It was the biggest event to hit the sailing internet since this site was born, and all eyes were on the SA front page and forums on Tuesday to watch in unfold in real time.  With Anarchists contributing gorgeous photos of the mecha-wing’s hoisting and loading process (thanks squid), more Anarchists commandeering the live San Diego webcam to catch every move on the waterfront (thanks stingray) and other Anarchists convincing the local Fox affiliate to get a man on their high-res camera for almost the entire day (thanks Da-Woody), which we carried live on the front page, this community captured every single instant of the painstaking process of rigging, stepping, and then cruising what may be the most advanced and fastest course racing sailboat ever built.  And fast it is – with wind readings never reaching 10 knots at nearby Lindbergh Field and the MechaDogzilla rarely putting any camber in the top half of the wing and only flying two hulls for a moment or two, chase boats were working hard to keep up – Da-Woody’s unique ride clocked it at 32 mph at one point. If they can keep it together, this thing is going to truly fly.

But it ain’t over yet – the news set off more new topics than we’ve ever seen in one day, from current and former C-Cat wingsailed champions giving their take to Anarchists posting pics from a dozen different vantage points to polls on what to name the thing – and Mr. Clean just informed us that he’s jumping on a plane first thing in the morning to check it out himself in whatever state of inebriation he arrives in.  It’s mayhem, and we love it!

If you don’t have time for the incredibly rich information in the forums, here’s a quick look at today’s action from BMW/Oracle’s YouTube page.