TNZ reveal first images of America’s Cup boat
Team New Zealand have offered a sneak peek of their America’s Cup boat ahead of its official launch in Auckland next Thursday.
There was a delay to its rollout at Team NZ’s base because of Auckland’s wild weather, but their AC75 emerged from Wynyard Point yesterday afternoon.
The 75ft foiling monohull was out in the open for the first time to have its rigging checked ahead of sailing.
The boat, built over 10 months, had been secretly shifted at night from the team’s North Shore facility to Wynyard Point.
Team NZ chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge said the AC75’s first unveiling in public was a huge moment in the Cup cycle.
“So much of any America’s Cup campaign goes on behind closed doors and with the utmost secrecy protecting designs and plans, but there always comes a time you need to show some of your cards,” Shoebridge said.
“And although what we have revealed today is not all of our cards, it sure gives everyone an indication of our design path.”
Thursday’s launch should reveal more about the design innovations Team NZ have made to create the fastest AC75 possible, as well as its name. Their Cup-winning boat in Auckland in 2021 was called Te Rehutai.
“We have had today in the calendar for a long, long time as the date that we would wheel the boat out to step the rig, and it is always critical to be hitting these important milestones, which obviously take a huge amount of dedication, commitment and hard work by the entire team,” Shoebridge said.
Cup syndicates develop their boats behind the scenes to hide the secrets their design teams will have worked on for nearly 100,000 hours.
Swiss team Alinghi were the first to launch their AC75, in Barcelona last Saturday, and Italian syndicate Luna Rossa are due to unveil their boat in Cagliari this weekend.
Team NZ will defend the Auld Mug with their AC75 in Barcelona in October. They won the Cup’s last two editions, in Bermuda in 2017 and Auckland in 2021.