A grinder is a crew member on a yacht whose duties include operating manual winches (called "coffee grinders") that raise and trim the sails and move the boom. It is a physically demanding role with a significant impact on a racing yacht's overall performance. The

AC50 The AC50 (defined in the America's Cup rules as AC Class yacht, or ACC) was a wingsail catamaran development rule that governed the construction of the yachts used in the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup and the 2017 America's Cup. Like the larger AC72s u ...

class yachts used in the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

competition have four positions (on each side) for grinders. These must be continuously operated to generate the

hydraulic pressure Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid coun ...

needed by the yacht's controls. Until 2017, the machinery was arm operated winches. However, in 2017

Team New Zealand Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup in ...

changed their grinding system to pedal operated positions (cyclors) similar to exercise bikes. This change reportedly gained a 40% increase in power delivered to the hydraulic system. In 2018, a decision was made to ban cyclors in the 36th America's Cup (2021) They were subsequently re-allowed for AC37 (2024)..

References

{{reflist Marine occupations Nautical terminology Transport occupations