Please select your home edition
Edition
Pantaenius Sail 2025 AUS Leaderboard

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.)




Zhik 2024 DecemberRooster 2025sMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Related Articles

America's Cup: Running silent and deep, again.
A look at the flotsam that has surfaced as the Cup teams again go into deep and silent negotiation. A look at the state of the Cup - given the three weeks of silence since the hasty final Protocol signing. Previously a long deep dive by the teams has indicated that a lot of negotiation is underway. Here's what we've seen floating on the surface.
Posted today at 5:58 am
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Day 1
Despite hurdles, familiar faces surge to the fore With a punchy 15-knot easterly and six-foot seas, the first day of the ninth edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup was a trial by fire for the 20 all-amateur crews pursuing Corinthian yachting's most treasured prize.
Posted today at 3:42 am
J/24 Worlds 2025 in Plymouth, UK Day 1
4 metre waves and gusts in excess of 30 knots 50 J24's from 12 countries (Argentina, Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, USA and the UK) descended upon Plymouth, UK for their five day World Championship.
Posted today at 3:35 am
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2025 Day 2
Early World Championship leads for Magic Carpet E and Jolt in Porto Cervo After yesterday's frustrating lack of racing, the Costa Smeralda delivered for day two of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup.
Posted on 9 Sep
Globe40 and La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec
A look at the Globe40 and the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec It's always an encouraging sign when a round-the-world race begins its second edition, especially when the steeds in question are approachable boats for most serious sailors.
Posted on 9 Sep
35th Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Porto Cervo Day 2
Magic Carpet E, Jolt, Nice, H2O and Moat lead in their respective classes The second day of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup delivered excellent racing conditions for the fleet assembled in Porto Cervo, with north-westerly winds averaging 16 knots.
Posted on 9 Sep
iQFOiL U23 Worlds at Portimão day 2
Today, attention once again turns to the unique race area in front of the Santa Catarina fortress. Yesterday, the opening day of the U23 World Championships set the tone for a high-level competition in Portimão. Strong northwesterly winds of 15-18 knots allowed the Race Committee to launch four Course Racing starts.
Posted on 9 Sep
2025 Star Worlds at Split, Croatia Day 2
Negri and Lambertenghi win Day Two after tactical duel on the Adriatic The second day of racing at the 2025 Star World Championship in Split, Croatia, saw the full 101-boat fleet return to the water for Race 2 after a 90-minute wait ashore.
Posted on 9 Sep
La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec Leg 1 Day 3
All That for This... While most people ashore were sitting down for lunch, a strange ballet was unfolding at sea off Dieppe. Carried by the rising tide in the Channel and with barely a breath of wind, the solo sailors struggled to escape the second course mark, Daffodils.
Posted on 9 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe Leg 5 Day 3
Paprec Arkéa leads as new breeze sends IMOCA fleet speeding south Yoann Richomme's Paprec Arkéa team took two points for leading through the Leg 5 Scoring Gate ahead of Allagrande Mapei Racing.
Posted on 9 Sep