Team NZ’s big boost could be Code Zero sail
TEAM New Zealand have the opportunity to crack the biggest conundrum of the America’s Cup – how to make the Code Zero sail effective.
Light airs performance was the biggest issue left on the water after the radical 75-foot foiling monohulls raced for the first time in the world series regatta in Auckland last month.
While defenders Emirates Team New Zealand looked the most polished at the lower end of the wind range, even they got exposed when the breeze dipped below the 6.5 knots limit during their last clash with
Team UK. They dropped off their foils and were unable to complete the race in the 45-minutes limit.
There were similar scenes the day before against Italians Luna Rossa, with the Kiwis eventually winning the battle to get airborne again, dashing away to score a psychological blow against the challenger of record.
No team used the giant 200sqm Code Zero foresail during any of the racing, not willing to risk its advantages in light airs against the possibility of being caught out if the breeze increased.
It’s a tricky equation, but one that Team New Zealand are continuing to investigate.
In Auckland’s fickle summer weather, cracking that code could be crucial to winning the Auld Mug.
And right now, no team is better placed to find a solution than the Kiwis, who have eight weeks training and testing alone.
The challengers are going to be too preoccupied with racing the Prada Cup series from January 15 to February 22 to invest enough time in the Code Zero development issue.
The extra speed the big sail attached to the bowsprit can produce, particularly downwind, is offset by difficulties teams have had during turns upwind and the drag it can cause if winds increase.
There is also the option of the slightly smaller fractional rig code zero (FR0) that has increasing appeal.
Just how – or if – TNZ master these light air options remains to be seen, but they have the brains trust to eke out a system.
Ken Read, president of
North Sails who supply Team New Zealand and challengers Team UK and American Magic, believes the Kiwis remain ahead of the pack with their work in this key department, impressed with their integrated system.
‘‘It’s the whole package. Team New Zealand have more sail control at this stage,’’ he said.
But maximising a large foresail remains the multimillion dollar question.
Could it even raise the seemingly unthinkable possibility of a sail change during racing, particularly if the wind drops to endanger foiling.
It’s quite a puzzle – the hassle of carrying the massive sail on deck where it threatens the aerodynamics of boats looking increasingly like planes, and the need to tweak a furling system to hoist the sail as quickly as possible.
The light airs performance is clearly a problem that is bugging the teams, to the extent that American Magic skipper Terry Hutchinson has suggested a quick fix of lifting the lower wind limit from 6.5 knots to 7.5 or 8 knots. That won’t happen for several reasons.
It would require unanimous approval from the four teams and you won’t see TNZ conceding that now when they have extra opportunities to test and develop.
Raising the wind limit slightly also raises the prospect of races not even starting at all, something organisers won’t want after the frustrating nonsailing days of the 2000 and 2003 America’s Cups regattas here.