been there, done that

We are told that the use of cyclers to deliver power to trim the sails on the America’s Cup boats is a breakthrough – the kind of cutting-edge technological development that only the extreme competitiveness and huge budgets of the Cup cycle can produce.

Baloney. Consider the illustration to the left (click to expand). It’s from the February 1974 edition of the British magazine Yachting World and clearly shows that the idea of onboard cycle-generated power was being explored half a century ago.

The accompanying explanatory text begins: “In the attempt to obtain more power for winching sheets you can be sure that the seaborne sailing bicycle is soon to be seen”.

The system was developed by Lewmar at the request of the French AC campaign. Those concerned about the legality of non-sailors pedaling below deck were assured that “The teamwork required is only an extension of current crewing techniques. As the load increases, the gear can be changed by the cyclists as if they were going uphill.”

An intriguing aspect of the proposal was how it dealt with the angle of heel problem. Simple! “The tandem frame is gimballed fore and aft, because it would be difficult to exert effective leg push at an angle to the vertical.”

But with typical British reserve, Yachting World felt compelled to ask its readers: “Now comes the question of whether this is absurd.” Fifty years later, that’s still a good question.

– anarchist David

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