Credit: Malcolm Tiley

When I ask James Turner, CEO and co-founder of Vision Yachts, how technology has changed sailing, he immediately references the America’s Cup. Speaking on the phone from Knysna, where he has a factory, he says technology has become so engrained in the race that a lot of what the competitors are doing isn’t exactly sailing. The boats aren’t even in the water anymore, he says; the America’s Cup boats – known as AC75s – are designed to fly across the water using a hydrofoil. They’re also fast, at around 50 knots, or between 90km/h and 100km/h, even when the wind is nowhere near that speed, which explains why crew members wear helmets and body armour. Turner says the America’s Cup may be one of the world’s most famous yacht races, but it’s now a design competition. “It’s basically a PlayStation driven by wind,” he jokes.

It’s crazy to think that members of the crew competing in one of the most prestigious sailing competitions in the world don’t even have a sailing background, he adds.