Since the early days, whether for commercial or leisure purposes, boats and sailors have adapted and evolved over time until we came to today’s era, where the technology factor has been added on top of it.

The GYC followed a similar path. On Thursday, 11 February began the virtual talk series with the aim to provide the usual high-quality content when gatherings in the Clubhouse are prohibited.

When the GYC board invited Jack Griffin, we knew in advance that we would be up for an hour-long tidal wave of knowledge, enthusiasm and details about the iconic America’s Cup. It was an exciting opportunity: the first ever virtual event organized by the GYC, with a famos guest speaker and a topic – the America’s Cup – close to the GYC’s heart.

Griffin covered an array of topics and had an astonishing wealth of details to share. He gave a detailed account of the famous capsize of the American Magic during the 2021 Prada Cup, explained the phenomena around the development of the new AC75 boats as well as the foil wing differences between boats, and why teams use different ones. Topics also included aspects of efficiency, the mechanism of aerodynamics, the layout of the crews and the thrill of sailing these boats, the G forces that sailors undergo, sailors background history, the importance of tactics and sails configuration options of each boat and more.

After the presentation, the GYC moderated a short session of Q&A. The enthusiastic audience, amongst whom were also professional sailors, was curious and eager for the exchange. This session allowed the speaker to go over the boat’s mechanical issues, revealing the sailors' technological learning curve to run the boats efficiently and how much actual sailing knowledge is needed to sail them. There was also time to share his own perspective of the recipe to win the America’ s Cup (for sure a fast boat is an ingredient!) and his belief into what the America’s Cup may evolve in future editions, knowing that if the AC75 boats prevail, technology and sailors will have to share their victories.

Griffin is a member of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame Selection Committee, author of Turning the Tide, a keynote speaker, a journalist, and a guest curator of the Mariner’s Museum for their Speed and Innovation in the America’s Cup exhibition. He is also a columnist for the Seahorse International Sailing magazine.

Griffin is now involved in the www.CupExperience.com project, where he publishes comprehensive information about the America’s Cup, including after-match videos and comments. No matter what sparks your interest or the questions you have about this century-old iconic event, we are sure that Jack Griffin knows the answer.

The GYC awaits Griffin’s visit to Gstaad to give him a warm welcome in the Clubhouse, hoping that it may happen very soon. In the meantime, he will deliver another online edition just before the America’s Cup in early March.

GSTAAD YACHT CLUB

Successes at the 7th edition of the Swiss sailing awards

Anja von Allmen
Junior Sailor of the year 2019/2020.

Nils Theuninck (Tilt team) and Simon Koster (Rösti-Sailing team)
Members of teams that were nominated as Sailing Team of the Year.

Team Alinghi (Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bryan Mettraux, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frey, Coraline Jonet and Ernesto Bertarelli)
Sailing Team of the Year 2019/2020