SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Swedish challenger for the America’s Cup is the first syndicate to test a radical wing sail that will be used in next year’s competition on San Francisco Bay.
Artemis Challenge says it sailed a trimaran with an AC72 wing Thursday in Valencia, Spain. The 131-foot (40-meter) wing is as tall as a 13-story building. Made predominantly of carbon fiber and looking like an airplane wing, it weighs just more than one ton.
The wing sail will be the primary feature of the 72-foot catamarans that will be used in the Louis Vuitton Cup for challengers and the America’s Cup match in 2013. In the buildup to 2013, teams are competing in the America’s Cup World Series in 45-foot cats.
