AC-33: USA-17 and the Lamborghini

The 33rd America's Cup was clearly an extravagant way for two billionaires to sort out their differences. The boats they came up with are a million miles from what you and I sail, unless you are a Silicon Valley billionaire.

Take that wing thing - how exactly do you reef it? Lets say the weather picks up and it's getting a bit hairy what's the plan exactly? Go aloft with a screwdriver and lower a segment or two down to the deck only to find there isn't one?

But at the same time it was awesome, to see those giant multi-hulls absolutely scream along at speeds usually above 20 knots and sometimes 30 when the real wind speed was a fraction of that.

To me it felt a bit like a super car. A Lamborghini is absolutely useless as a family wagon, no good for the weekly shop, and redundant in the traffic jams of central London.

But as a symbol of what can be done, how form and function can be welded together into a beautiful whole, move with power and grace, effortlessly, it works.

And I felt that about BMW Oracle's USA-17. It appealed to the inner space cadet nerd, who thrilled at how each of the wing components could be independently adjusted, to Jimmy Spithill's back-pack powered head up display sun-glasses.

It brought out the inner eight year old who's into something that looks so cool.

But please BMW Oracle, do not use the phrase "Mission Accomplished" - it brings back a lot of bad memories.