Know the Game - The Hook

One of the most powerful moves in the pre-start involves getting a "hook" on your opponent. What is it, and what does it allow you to do?

The 36th America's Cup presented by Prada will be contested by the winner of the 2017 America's Cup, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron represented by their team, Emirates Team New Zealand, and the winner of the Prada Cup, the challenger selection series which takes place in January–February in 2021.

#AmericasCup #AC36 #Auckland2021

[vanish]

Sailing rules for the novice. Remember the word "S.A.I.L" The "S" stands for Starboard, if one boat is on a port tack and the other is on starboard, the starboard boat has right of way. The "A" stands for ahead, if you are overtaking a boat from behind and you both are on the same tack, the boat ahead has right of way. The "I" stands for inside. If two boats on the same tack are approaching a mark, the inside boat (the one closest to the mark, or buoy) has right of way. Finally, "L" stands for leeward, as in this case the leeward (the boat further downwind) has right of way, so as he comes up the boat on the right has to give way to him. The objective in this case is to force the boat on the right to come up (turn more into the wind) so that he basically stalls out his sails and loses speed, then the leeward boat bears off (turns back to the left) and continues on without having stalled his sails. Thus gaining a speed advantage at the start.

[jameswright]

Feel like this is an incomplete explanation. Why does the overlap matter? Does the leading boat give up right of way for this? Does it matter which "mark" they approach at for the start?

[spacegamer]

I don't know if the rules in the america's cup are different than the ones, we have when sailing in germany, but as far as I know, you're not allowed to push the other boat beyond the point where your sails basically stall. And you are definitely not allowed to turn directly into the wind.

[piotrcholewa]

Good idea for racing rules but give some more usefull info. Waiting for more vids like this!

[ntndxmf]

LR perfect example, AM had know chance they’d pretty much lost before they started. All the best for tonight let’s hope for some close action when the gun goes 💥

[AdamStanford-Moore]

Rule 17 of racing says: "If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat."
Proper course is "A course a boat would sail to finish finish the race and clear the finishing line and marks as soon as possible in the absence of the other boats."
I don't see how yellow could get away with this, unless perhaps the simulation is much more extreme than would actually happen in a race.

[davemacmurchie]

This really explains nothing. If you're an experienced sailor you already know it and if not, you end up none the wiser.

[tsfullerton]

Why does a boat on starboard tack have right of way regardless of overlap or mark rules? The overlap rule makes sense to me because the upwind boat, being in clean wind, has more freedom to maneuver.

[brentchalmers]

Overlap is usually ONLY a rule within 2 or 3 boat lengths of a mark. This video is confusing because it suggests overlap can happen anywhere on the race course.

[susankeyser]

So if I'm blue and see yellow coming up on me with all that momentum. What are the ways to defend or prevent this outcome?

[leprotto]

Exploit the rules: if you don't give way during the hook you get 50 meters penality. If you give way and stop foiling you lose x00 meters... Of course is best to tack if you have space, but the penalty is too loose imo

[shaneriehl]

Blue is dead in the water, and the race is decided before either boat even crosses the line. Amazing sport.

[remisimard]

Why would blue yield and not just push yellow outside of the gate? Very incomplete video

[ColinWatters]

Poor explanation. Sailing rules mean that if boats are on the same tack (in this case Starboard) the one sailing closest to the wind (closest to going directly up wind) has right of way. So in this example when yellow turns right its sailing closer to the wind than blue so blue must keep clear by turning right as well. This can cause blue to sail too close to the wind so that he becomes "luffed up", slows and stops. The Belgian boat Prada has tried "luffing up" UK boat Ineos on two occasions during races.

[davidkennedy]

This and most other tactical maneuvers are irrelevant with these foilers. Since they can't pinch into the wind without coming off the foils.