Industry Summary Articles

With qualifying rounds of the 35th America's Cup in full swing down in Bermuda, Altair, a cutting-edge engineering and design firm, is providing sailing fans and techies alike with "Surface to Air," a behind-the-scenes look at the technology, innovation and collaboration that goes into preparing to win the oldest and most coveted prize in competitive sailing.

Partnering with Sweden's Artemis Racing team, Altair assisted in the design and development of the daggerboard that instantly propels the boat from the surface of the water into the air. The story of this partnership is explored in the 12-minute film that dives into what's required to build one of the fastest sail boats to ever exist.  "Surface to Air" is available now on Altair's website, www.designthedifference.com, as well as major Video on Demand platforms including Apple iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play among others.

With innovations in design and technology paving the way, essentially transforming sailboats into airplanes, the sport of sailing is becoming one of the fastest, most dangerous competitions on earth. Millimeter changes in design translate to knots of difference on the water, which is the difference between winning and losing, so Altair was excited to share their design simulation software and consult with Artemis Racing to help give the Swedish team a competitive advantage. 

"I saw the America's Cup as high-profile race competition, but it is much more than that, it is a design competition pushing the limits of physics and engineering," said David Durocher, Engineering manager, Altair. "This is not traditional sailing; it is flying, they no longer have a sailing crew – they have pilots."

The film explores how technology is transforming sailing as well as the intriguing, and often perilous world of the America's Cup, and all that comes with its developments in boating – including competitors who are determined to spy and steal coveted engineering secrets along the way.

Qualifying rounds of the 35th America's Cup continue through June 12th with the America's Cup Match taking place June 17th-18th, and 24th – 27th.

To view the original press release, please click here.

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