USA-17 (formerly known as BMW Oracle Racing 90 or BOR90) is a 90 ft (27 m) LWL, 90 ft (27 m) beam, sloop rigged one-off racing sail trimaran built by the USA sailing team BMW Oracle Racing for use in a Deed of Gift challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup.
Designed by VPLP Yacht Design with consultation from Franck Cammas and his Groupama multi-hull sailing team, BOR90 is very light for her size being constructed almost entirely out of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and exhibits very high performance being able to sail at 2.0 to 2.5 times the true wind speed (though some rumors have claimed 4× TWS). She can apparently sail at 20 degrees off the apparent wind.
The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind she generates is only 5-6 degrees different to that when she is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind and thus ‘sailing faster than the wind‘.
The USA-17 trimaran won the 2010 America’s Cup from the defending champion Alinghi 5 in February.
Check out this promotional video about the sailing team.
