Ainslie excited by new America’s Cup boats

Emirates Team New Zealand’s concept drawings for the next America’s Cup boat – a 75ft foiling monohull – have drawn lavish praise, with Sir Ben Ainslie describing it as a “truly high-performance boat” which will be “as quick as or quicker than the foiling catamarans in the last Cup”.

The last edition of the Cup, held in Bermuda in May and June, attracted a new America’s Cup audience with its dramatic racing on foiling 50ft catamarans capable of ‘flying’ at 50knots in less than half that breeze. But the Kiwis – who blitzed the United States in the Cup match to take the trophy back to Auckland – announced last month that the sport would be switching to monohulls. And on Monday night they released their vision for 2021. The new class will be a foiling monohull on two large canting Tfoils and a single T-foil rudder lifting the boat into the air.

Ainslie, team principal of Portsmouth-based challenger Land Rover BAR, had been vocal about his preference to continue racing in multihulls. But he has been won over by the Kiwis’ vision.

“The Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa have delivered a truly high-performance boat that will make the next America’s Cup an incredible sporting and technical challenge,” he said. “We look forward to the opportunity to consult with the Defender and Challenger of Record ahead of the final class rule being announced at the end of March. We can’t wait to start tackling the design and engineering challenges in this new class. What we do know is that we’re going to be foiling again, and that in the right conditions, it will be as quick as or quicker than the ACC foiling catamarans in the last Cup.”