North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Yacht takes hydro foils to the masses
‘‘People watching ask what is it a bird, a plane, or a sailing boat? It is all of them as the experience is like flying free as a bird,’’ says New Zealand Sailing’s owner Mike Pasco. Wondering what he is talking about?
The world’s first WASZP’s have arrived in New Zealand. These are flying boats which allow people to sail out of the water and reach speeds twice as fast as the wind.
The Australian project which took more than five years to develop launched their product in August and has allowed Silverdale’s New Zealand Sailing team to be the only distributors in New Zealand.
People have taken to the boats so much that the Manly Sailing Club has decided to hold the first ever New Zealand National Championships of the WASZP this weekend.
Distributor Pasco says these boats are very exciting as they bring the newly invented, high speed flying (hydro foiling) experience of the America’s Cup to the common person.
‘‘Now everyone can hydrofoil, not just professional sailors with multi-million dollar budgets,’’ he says.
‘‘In New Zealand we have sailors aged from 10 to over 60 on these, they are both men and women, it is awesome.’’
Pasco says the speeds achievable are up to five times faster than sailing boats of the same size.
‘‘The experience of flying is completely different to normal sailing’’
New Zealand Sailing's owner Mike Pasco
‘‘The experience of flying is completely different to normal sailing as the boats fly silently through the water with no drag or bashing into the sea.’’
Pasco’s idea of selling these boats is to encourage people of all ages to get in the water and for people to be able to learn a different way to sail.
‘‘It is very easy to manage once you are above the water. What happens is you start out almost like normal sailing, there is a wand at the front of the boat which is attached to the lower wing and as the boat starts to go faster the wand will pull the boat out of the water which will then be supported by the two small wings,’’ Pasco says.
The purpose of the event on Saturday and Sunday is to get people out in the water participating and learning.
‘‘Local sailors from Rodney and the North Shore should make up about half of the fleet, but people can come and talk to us about the boats,’’ Pasco says.
The event will be held out at Manly Sailing Club wind dependent. Visit www.nzsailing.net. People can come see the boats at 34c Peters Way, Silverdale.