America's Cup- A cruising, coaching sort of day for the AC45

by Richard Gladwell on 26 Jan 2011
Sorting out a mooring, then checking up on the kids out training in the 470. Sounds like the sort of pre-Anniversary weekend preparation for many sailing families around the Auckland area. Particularly with the ISAF level 1 regatta, Sail Auckland starting next week off Takapuna.

After an experience which skipper James Spithill later described as his worst moment of the 33rd America's Cup - when he was called out at 0400hrs one mooring to find USA-17 charging at her mooring in the outer Darcena, in Valencia, in an overnight storm - getting a good mooring system sorted is a priority for the AC45.

If the boat can be left on a mooring with wingsail able to rotate, then much of the logistics associated with hauling the AC45's during the America's Cup World Series events will be unnecessary. Use of a mooring allows more sailing time and less handling - however the trick is to get the bioat to sit quietly at the mooring without sailing under wingsail.

And then it was off to check up on the kids' 470 training