Little America's Cup gallery - 1

Top French photographer Christian Fevrier gives us his insight on the high performance C-class

1989 LAC Challenge. McCrae beach, Victoria, Australia.

The new defender, The Edge II, in sailing trials at McCrae before the competition. Under pressure, the Coverite, the cloth covering over the wingmast structure, is not perfectly flat. If it was perfect, the power would be certainly greater. Six years later, the Cogito wing was totally perfect in this respect.


Helmsman Simon McKeon and David Churcher flying a hull on the Edge II. Note the boxes atop the bow to increase buoyancy when the catamaran is burying.
Detail showing the precision control mechanism of The Edge II's wingmast. This mechanism aloft controls the camber of the three main articulated foils (panels). Not only this, but it also controls two flapinos (very thin independent vertical foils - see page 8 ) which open or close the slot between the main panels of the wing - like a car carburettor - to increase or reduce the airflow to leeward, you can understand why Lindsay Cunningham is revered as a great genius for inventing this. Also evident is that there was nothing costly or hi-tech about the material he used. On modern day C-Class cats all thse controls are internal to reduce the drag.

1989. The wing of The Edge II at rest on the beach, in front of the oldest Australian lighthouse, built in England and shipped in pieces to Australia last century.
This shot clearly shows the three slots and the crude but powerful mechanism to camber the wing. Two years later, the next Cunningham wingmast was much better streamlined.