PHOTOS: America's Cup topmasts

We compare the different topmast and flipper configurations between the AC boats

All the America's Cup boats have independently rigged topmasts to enable a tighter sheeting angle of the jib. But one of the interesting developments that Alinghi started prior to the last Cup was the batwings/flippers. As jibs are not allowed battens, the batwings act a substitute - an extremely smart idea that has now been adopted now by all the teams. Oddly Alinghi seem now to be the only team not using flippers on SUI75.

Below: the topmasts on Alinghi's SUI75, +39 and on Team Shosholoza (still using the old Alinghi rig)