I know next to nothing about sailing, but this thing has always fascinated me.
For those that don’t know; as I understand it, the longer the waterline a boat has, the faster it can move under the same power.
At the time, the Americas cup yachts were built to a rule that reqired a 90ft load waterline (length of the waterline with the boat sitting still), so the designer of this yacht built it with huge overhangs (the length the hull extends fore and aft above the waterline) so that when it was tipped (or "heeled") over the waterline would get way longer and it would go way faster than it had any right to.
Top that off with a ridiculously huge sail plan and when sailed properly the thing would move like shit off a shovel, I love bullshitty skirting the rules stuff like this.
![Reliance (yacht on Rhode Island state quarter) crossing finish line, 1903 [1024x760]](https://i.redd.it/nfseij5e8vt51.jpg)
RedOktober1
I know next to nothing about sailing, but this thing has always fascinated me.
For those that don’t know; as I understand it, the longer the waterline a boat has, the faster it can move under the same power.
At the time, the Americas cup yachts were built to a rule that reqired a 90ft load waterline (length of the waterline with the boat sitting still), so the designer of this yacht built it with huge overhangs (the length the hull extends fore and aft above the waterline) so that when it was tipped (or "heeled") over the waterline would get way longer and it would go way faster than it had any right to.
Top that off with a ridiculously huge sail plan and when sailed properly the thing would move like shit off a shovel, I love bullshitty skirting the rules stuff like this.