Oliver’s Post about the pitchpole and foam…

Hey Folks- Thought you might like to see the latest from NEIYA Regatta Chair and all around composite and wing sail guy Oliver Moore-

This is the latest from his company Facebook page- interesting stuff and neat to see that he is making parts for the AC boats racing in Bermuda- For more details look up “Moore Brothers Company Warren RI”

Read on!

We never like to see wings in the water, but Team New Zealand’s pitch-pole on Monday leaves the opportunity for learning. The safety rules of this challenge call for foam flotation to fill the tip of each team’s wing, but the main purpose of the foam isn’t actually flotation; the goal is to prevent the wing filling with water. Each gallon of water that ends up in the wing becomes an eight pound hammer, dropping through all the delicate control systems as soon as the wing is righted. While we didn’t cut the foam for New Zealand, we did for both Oracle and Softbank. The foam itself is a super light EPS called geo-fill, and it was interesting to cut. Ninety-six cubic feet of foam block came through the door, and we sliced it down with a hot wire to fit the parts inside a 5 axis machine. THEN we started carving, and the fun began.