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Portsmouth Harbour — Iron, Sail & Speed

Skyelark at The Camber this week. HMS Warrior’s iron hull, HMS Victory’s legend, and foiling cats that fly. Photos & field notes from the waterline.

Harbour morning — mist and salt in the air.

HMS Victory at the Historic Dockyard — imagine 800 sailors on deck.

HMS Warrior (1859) — ironclad pride of the harbour.

Race village energy before the foiling cats launch.

America’s Cup weekend — Solent winds and Red Bull speed.

Avec Philippe Presti — coach of ORACLE TEAM USA.

With Artemis Racing grinder Chris Brittle.

Camber dock vibes — spray, speed, and salt.

At Land Rover BAR — extreme sailors, extreme poise.

BAR training — smooth is fast.

Land Rover BAR HQ — launch at the apron, out to the Solent.

Skyelark meets Bobby at The Office today!

Every time I walk into this port town, HMS Warrior — the first armor-plated, iron-hulled warship (1859) — is right in the harbor standing tall and proud, a constant reminder of the age of naval dominance and the legacy of empire and seapower. It is in the misty salt water air too.

HMS Victory, Admiral Horatio Nelson’s namesake ship, is docked at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard — the Royal Navy’s most famous warship. Hard to believe you can fit 800 sailors on deck.

It is the most famous sailing event in the world and the oldest competition in international sport. The best sailors race in the fastest boats. These AC45 catamarans are different. They are faster, lighter, and they fly on the sea — the boat’s foils are out of the water, so things get very fast very quickly. There’s very little of the cat in the water. It’s about aerodynamics. It’s about control systems. It’s about hydraulic systems. It’s not brain surgery, it’s rocket science — reminds me of Formula 1. In fact, Red Bull had one of their open-wheel cars next to their bar concession on full display — Zoom.

I broadcasted a few live video feeds using Twitter’s new app Periscope. It was cool to get all the views and have people from Europe and all over the planet see my world through my lens (Samsung S5). Avec Philippe Presti, the French Olympian and coach of the America’s Cup champions ORACLE TEAM USA. With Artemis Racing grinder Chris Brittle.

I’m winning at this life thing… and yet there are people so much cooler than me: Extreme Sailors. Touché!

Launching at the apron at 10AM, it was teamwork again in action — smooth is fast — and Ben Ainslie’s team looked solid and in the water and sailing through The Solent in no time.

Capturing a bit of the spirit of racing

I managed to hitch a ride on Charles and Annie’s Ballistic Inflatable (Zodiac)… these guys can throttle it to 50, in the tiny spaces of a 20-meter trampoline.

Even though it was a sea trial, the boat’s foils are out of the water and things get very fast very quickly… reminds me of open-wheel racing and life in the fast lane at the Indy 500.