TNZ to launch new AC75 in Auckland
Team NZ will have permission to launch boat in April
In two months, Team New Zealand will have permission to launch.
The America’s Cup defenders this week gave their two-month notice to the recon panel, indicating their intention to launch their new AC75 in April.
It was a feature of the technical regulations for the America’s Cup campaign that teams had to provide the Recon Management Panel and a recon administrator with a twomonth notice period before launching the vessel with which they hope to claim the Auld Mug.
Though an official launch date is yet to be set by Team New Zealand, they were first to confirm their message of intent, with Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli also signalling their plans for an April launch.
Given the distance between Auckland and the Cup venue in Barcelona, it is not a huge surprise that the defenders will be the first able to launch. Speaking to the Herald late last month, Team New Zealand chief executive Kevin Shoebridge said they would be launching with plenty of time to tweak any kinks.
“The building is well-progressed now, but then you’ve got to go through sort of a fit-out period, which takes time as well, with all the mechatronics and hydraulics and all the rest of it,” Shoebridge said.
“We’ll still sail here in Auckland for a short period before we hop on a ship and head for Barcelona, but our intention is to sail in early July in Barcelona, which gives us a good amount of time with a new boat up there.”
The Kiwis have had to factor in the time it will take to get their new AC75 from Auckland to Barcelona, expected to be around six weeks.
With the team planning to be on the water in Spain early in July, they could not have waited much longer to get their boat launched.
The team got a feel for the conditions in Barcelona on a big boat last year when they had their secondgeneration and 36th America’s Cupwinning AC75 Te Rehutai on the water but it will be a different feeling when next in that situation.
“We had a very good summer in Barcelona last year and that’s put us in a nice position in a lot of ways.
“It was really beneficial, not only for our sailing team, but also for our design team, understanding the conditions more sailing on the actual water and seaway.”
Team New Zealand have been busy trialing the last of their four test foils on the LEQ12 on the Hauraki Gulf in recent weeks as they edge closer to a decision on their race foils.
The Kiwis made the strategic decision of leaving their last couple of test foils until late in the design process to allow the designers more time to develop and learn.
“It’s not as though you’re looking for a silver bullet out of one of them. There are features you might find on all of them that you’d like to use, so they really are test foils; just trying different things and concepts.”