America's Cup: Emirates Team New Zealand test new wing style
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 7 May 2020 02:51 PDT
7 May 2020
Te Kaahu - Emirates Team New Zealand's test boat - May 7, 2020 - Waitemata Harbour © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com
Three weeks away from the official start of winter in New Zealand, Emirates Team New Zealand put in a long six hour day of test sailing in the development boat Te Kahu, attempting to catch up on six weeks lost on the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Usually the training session on the 12metre test boat last about three hours. Today's session was conducted in winds recorded at up to 25kts, but generally in the 18-20kt range.
Currently the team is testing a wing (attached to the foil arm) which features a fuselage with what appear to be narrower chord wings and flaps. Previous wings have been without a centre fuselage.
On Friday it is expected that the team will make a substantial sponsorship by a major global brand, bringing significant international exposure for New Zealand. The new sponsorship flies in the face of predictions that sailing was going to face strong headwinds in the sport sponsorship market.
The America's Cup, scheduled for March 2021 will be the first major international sports event since the coronavirus turned the world's sporting schedule inside out.