BMW Oracle Racing reveal the wing

The BMW Oracle Racing team have revealed their "secret weapon", a 57m (190ft) wing for their BOR90 trimaran. There had been a good deal of speculation that BOR were building a wing for the boat when two large and long items arrived by truck from their boat builder in Anacortes, Washington several weeks ago.

BOR will test the performance and handling of the wing in comparison to the soft sail which the boat has been using on sea trials for the past several months.

Having the wing ready at this point was fortuitous timing for BOR, as they broke the mast for their soft sail last week.

A solid wing like this is more efficient than a soft sail in aerodynamic terms, and it is easier to control than a soft sail. This is the largest wing-sail ever constructed for a sailing boat. Its height is larger than the semi-span of a 747 (57m vs 31m).

Photographs © Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle Racing, used with permission.