Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC72 is caught on camera flying across the Hauraki Gulf on foils
Emirates Team New Zealand was the first team to launch its AC72 and is now the first fly in public as a TV clip on New Zealand’s One News shows.
While wingmast sails are clearly a big step forward in Cup racing, many believe it will be the balance between achieving high speeds on foils but without carrying a drag penalty at low speeds, that will differentiate teams’ prospects in the next Cup.
Time on the water is key as always and here the Kiwis appear to have an edge. Perhaps they have even stolen a march on at least two of their rivals. Artemis suffered a costly wing failure early in the year when trialling their first rig, while Oracle had to curtail its first testing session with its AC72 after a daggerboard problem.