The GC32 is a class of

hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...

ing

catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...

, 32 feet in length (9.75 meters) and constructed of

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

, with a top speed of about . They are sailed in the

GC32 Racing Tour GC32 Racing Tour is a southern European-centered sailing boat circuit for GC32 one design foiling catamarans. It attracts both private owner-driven teams and those that are commercially-backed. History The aim of the circuit is to provide the ' ...

, and have replaced the Extreme 40's in the

Extreme Sailing Series The Extreme Sailing Series (ESS) (formerly the iShares Cup) was an annual global racing series, organised by OC Sport, which ran from 2007 to 2018. The series started in 2007 with its main attraction being the stadium racing which puts the race ...

History

Conceived by Laurent Lenne, who was trained as a naval architect in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, the GC32 was designed by Dr. Martin Fischer. Built from

, the boat is manufactured in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

by Premier Composite Technologies and then marketed by Lenne's company, THE GREAT CUP BV. In 2013, the first version of the GC32 was built. In 2014, the second version of the Flying GC32 was ready by April 2014 and create the GC32Racing Tour in 2014. Laurent is nowadays mainly responsible for expanding the GC32 racing experience and helping new owners to join the GC32 community.

Design

For the first season the boats competed with their Mk1

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

package comprising a ‘double S’ configuration main foil/

daggerboard A daggerboard is a retractable centreboard used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, co ...

and L-profile

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

. These were designed to reduce

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

, but not cause the GC32 to fly. By spring of 2014, the GC32 was refitted with an Mk2 foil package. The change came as a result of inspiration drawn from the

AC72 The AC72 (America's Cup 72 class) is a class of wingsail catamarans built to a box rule, which governs the construction and operation of yachts competing in the 2013 Louis Vuitton and the America's Cup races. The class was subsequently replaced ...

catamarans seen in the

34th America's Cup The 34th America's Cup was a series of yacht races held in San Francisco Bay in September 2013. The series was contested between the defender Oracle Team USA team representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and the challenger Emirates Team New Zeala ...

. This transformed the class into fully flying foiling catamarans. Although the GC32 shares some similarities with the America's Cup catamarans, there are some stark differences. The foils are substantially larger (compared to the boat's size) than those used in America's Cup versions. The effect is that the GC32 is more controllable and easier to steer. Furthermore, the GC32 is able to foil in low wind speeds with greater stability and ease. Despite having the larger foils, these boats are fast and can reach speeds of . Also different from the America's Cup design is the more manageable soft-sail rig (with one design sails and no hydraulics), rather than a rigid carbon fibre

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

. The foil package and boat set up enables it to be sailed by more than just elite athletes; amateur sailors and owners can also experience the very latest technology in high performance yacht racing.

GC32 International Class Association

As of 2017, the GC32 catamaran is recognized by

World Sailing World Sailing is the international sports governing body for sailing (sport), sailing; it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the International Yac ...

as an international sailboat class. This enables the class to hold a world championship event. The first world championship will take place on

Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...

in May 2018.

Racing Circuits

GC32 Racing Tour

Extreme Sailing Series

The GC32 was introduced onto the

circuit for the 2016 season, thus replacing the

Extreme 40 The Extreme 40 is a class of sailing catamaran created by TornadoSport and designed by Yves Loday. The boats are 40 feet long and are constructed out of carbon fibre. They have a top speed of about and can sail at about in 20–25 knots of wind ...

, which had been used since the series' start as the iShares Cup in 2007. The GC served as the Extremes' class until its unfortunate end following the 2018 season.

Events

2018

GC32 World Championship, May 23–27, 2018 (

)

References

External links

THE GREAT CUP - OFFICIAL COMPANY BEHIND GC32 GC32 Racing Tour
{{ExtremeSailingSeries Catamarans Extreme Sailing Series