The boat that shaped the Kiwi Cup future
by Matt Sheahan 10 Mar 2021 08:15 AEDT
The boat that shaped the future © PlanetSail
With the first race of the 36th America's Cup just hours away here's a short story that I believe helps to put the Kiwi Cup campaigns into perspective.
It's a story I've been itching to tell this story since I got here... how NZL20 formed the foundations for 29 years of Kiwi participation in the America's Cup and how the bright red boat played a major part in bringing the Cup to New Zealand.
On the eve of the 36th America's Cup, where so little is known about the relative performances of the Challenger and the Defender, this is an apt reminder about how New Zealand has led the technology charge for so many years and how a winning formula can go wrong in a heartbeat. Out of lockdown and back on the road, I head out of Auckland to find out more about this fascinating boat and how it shaped the future.