Please select your home edition
Edition
GOAT Marine

America's Cup- Emirates Team NZ foiling on Waitemata Harbour - Images

by Richard Gladwell on 3 Sep 2012
1 - New Zealand sheets on her gennaker and starts to lift on her L-Foils Swan Images http://www.sail-world.com

Last Wednesday, after just her fourth day if sailing on the Hauraki Gulf, Emirates Team NZ were able to get their first AC72 sailing foil-borne on the Waitemata Harbour.

Sail-World has reviewed a sequence of 25 images which show the AC72 returning in a fresh breeze, rounding Rangitioto Light pursued by three chase boats.

She is sailing in a 15-20 breeze judging by the sea state outside Rangitoto Light. In the lee of Rangitoto Island, the seas are flat, as they clear the Island the seas remain flat, but of course the wind comes back up to its original strength.

The crew hoisted a furled gennaker as they passed Rangitoto Island

In the first attempt at foiling, New Zealand lifts her leeward hull briefly under jib alone, and with the windward foil apparently retracted.The boat is then stopped while some adjustments are carried out.

In later shots New Zealand is shown clearly foiling with the windward foil raised in compliance with America's Cup rules, which are designed to prevent the windward dagger board increasing righting moment. (http://noticeboard.americascup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ISAF-Racing-Rules-of-Sailing-AC-Edition-v-1.12.pdf!Click_here and see rule 47.3)

New Zealand then has her gennaker unfurled, and at the point the sail set she lifts clear of the water on both foils, begins a high speed sail down the Waitemata Harbour, past North Head at is entrance, and then gybes off Devonport.

She was fully foil-borne for a distance of over 1.5nm, and the photographer reports that the AC72 was stable i.e. not dropping out of foiling mode. While distances are a little hard to calculate accurately, the times on the images show that the run began with the breaking out the gennaker. It was fully extended (but not set) in an image taken 4 secs later. New Zealand was foiling in an image taken 17 secs afterwards and remained foiling until the last shot was taken 5mins 11 secs later, according to the metadata on the images.

The achievement would appear to give Emirates Team NZ a significant jump on other the other teams, only one of which is currently sailing. (Oracle Team USA sailed late last week for just two hours before damaging her starboard foil.)




Related Articles

SVG Junior Sailing Week 2025
A Spectacular Celebration of Youth, Sportsmanship and Island Spirit When Minister Carlos James called on the SVG Sailing Association to help deliver SVG Junior Sailing Week 2025, the response was clear, and the results were outstanding.
Posted today at 2:16 pm
Be a Dynamic Team
The right clothing brings so much to a sailing campaign The right clothing brings so much to a sailing campaign. It unites the team, helps improve performance, and engenders loyalty to the yacht. Quite simply, it can be a game-changer - a performance upgrade for the boat.
Posted today at 1:30 pm
2025 RYA Youth National Championships
A week of varied and challenging race conditions at Pwllheli Over 230 of the UK's top young sailors descended on Pwllheli for the 2025 RYA Youth National Championships, where new champions were crowned after a week of varied and challenging race conditions.
Posted today at 1:26 pm
Allen Brothers becomes full Clamcleat® Distributor
Building on a long-standing relationship between the two companies Allen Brothers, a leading manufacturer of performance sailing hardware, is pleased to announce an upgraded partnership with fellow British brand, Clamcleat®.
Posted today at 11:36 am
FlyingNikka in Portofino for Regate di Primavera
The Maxi yachts season opener at Yacht Club Italiano The first event of the year is approaching for the full foiling monohull FlyingNikka, which will be in action from Friday to Sunday in Portofino at the Regate di Primavera, the season-opening event dedicated to Maxi yachts organized by the YC Italiano.
Posted today at 11:13 am
Look after your health on and off the water
Win a Garmin Quatix® 7Pro + save 10% on BUPA Health Insurance The sailing season's back, and it couldn't come soon enough! After months off the water, people are pulling covers off boats, catching up with their crew, and getting set for weekends on the coast again.
Posted today at 8:30 am
Jura Scottish Series on Loch Fyne Preview
At one month to go, entries are growing With just one month to go before the start of the Jura Scottish Series, historically the north of Britain's premier annual sailing regatta, entries continue to be received at an encouraging rate.
Posted today at 7:13 am
Matosinhos-Porto set to host an exciting Fly-By
The Ocean Race Europe will come to Portugal this summer The Fly-By, during the second leg of the European race, will bring The Ocean Race back to Portugal with a strong focus to mobilise action for ocean health.
Posted today at 6:45 am
Spectacular conditions forecast for ASW 2025
Strong tradewinds forecast for the 56th edition of Antigua Sailing Week The 56th edition of Antigua Sailing Week will start next week in spectacular fashion, with strong tradewinds forecast to provide adrenaline-packed sailing across nine classes.
Posted today at 12:17 am
2025 RS Aero Europeans at Lake Garda Preview
110 sailors from 15 nations are set for racing at Circolo Vela Arco Everything is ready at Circolo Vela Arco for the start of the 2025 RS Aero European Championships, which will kick off on Wednesday, 24 April, on the stunning waters of northern Lake Garda.
Posted on 23 Apr