America's Cup - Oracle Team USA's AC50 well underway in Warkworth

by Sail-World.com/NZL on 28 Aug 2016 Oracle Team USA’s new America’s Cup Class boat is taking shape at the team’s build facility in New Zealand, Core Builders Composites, Warkworth, 40 minutes north of Auckland.

The major components for the 15-meter platform, including the hulls and cross beams, have now been built. The systems, wings and foils remain in a state of constant development and testing and that will be the case right up until the final race of the America’s Cup in June next year.

“We’re pleased with our progress,” said general manager Grant Simmer. “We're on track to launch the boat in Bermuda in January, but we have a lot of work to do before then.

'We will keep testing and training as much as we can here as we develop our systems, our foils and our sailing techniques, but having this boat ready to launch early in the new year will be a big campaign milestone.”

“The completion of the boat we race in the America’s Cup in June next year will be a major accomplishment,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill.

“We’re not there yet, but it’s nice to see how far along things have come. This is a real tribute to the long hours and hard graft a lot of people are putting in so that we’ll be in a position to win races next summer.”

Under the rules of the event, competitors may not launch their America’s Cup Class yacht before December 27 of this year. Oracle Team USA is planning on a January launch date at the team base in Bermuda.

“From what we’ve seen in testing the AC45S boats, these new boats will be real weapons,” Spithill said. “As a sailing team, we can’t wait to get our hands on it and learn how to get the most out of it.'

In the shot above, the hulls are bow-on, with the forward crossbeam in the foreground. Under America's Cup constructed in country rules only the front 2.7 metres of the bow need to be constructed in the country of origin of the challenging/defending club. In Oracle's context this means that the forward sections have to be constructed in USA and then flown to Bermuda to be joined with the after sections, shown above, which have been built in New Zealand.

The Arbitration Panel has yet to confirm that the Qualifiers will take place in Bermuda, rather than Auckland, after a hearing in July.