Cup Spy Nov 15: Emirates Team New Zealand in a world of their own
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 16 Nov 05:28 PST
17 November 2023
Emirates Team New Zealand - AC40 - Day 43 - Auckland - November 15, 2023 © Sam Thom/America's Cup
Emirates Team New Zealand were the only team to sail on Wednesday, in either Hemisphere.
What happened in the Cup - November 15, 2023:
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing - Did not sail
- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - Did not sail.
- INEOS Britannia - Did not sail - there is no update on the status of the Brits rudder which was damaged on Monday, or whether there are other issues arising.
- American Magic - Did not sail.
- Emirates Team New Zealand - Sailed their LEQ12/AC40 in a two and a half hour session sailing mainly on Course D
- Orient Express Racing Team - Their AC40 is en route to Jeddah.
- All teams are/have shipped AC40s to Jeddah for the second Preliminary Event at the end of November. No further official update on security concerns.
AC37 Joint Recon Team Reports:
Emirates Team New Zealand- AC40/LEQ12 - Day 43 - November 15, 2023 - Auckland
A consistent breeze from the southwest delivered some great conditions for Emirates Team New Zealand today on the Hauraki Gulf. With the breeze averaging around 15 knots with gusts up to 18, Day 43 on the LEQ 12 test boat, was a good one.
The day started with a dock out at 13:00hrs before hoisting sails off Mechanics Bay a short time after. The team then commenced sailing by popping up on the foils on starboard tack off Tamaki Wharf at 13:24hrs before bearing away and heading downwind toward Browns Island while completing a few manoeuvres on the way. This included some gybes, big round ups and even a couple of circles off Bean Rock. It was evident the team were feeling confident in the boat and with their handling after having a few great sessions under their belts since returning from overseas.
After the initial downwind, most of the testing session took place between Browns Island and Rangitoto where the southwest breeze seemed to be funnelling and very consistent. The team carried out a few upwind and downwind laps with very short intervals between tacks and gybes. Manoeuvres were locked in and so was the yacht. It did seem however, a few of the manoeuvres and turns were slower than normal.
Some of the foil arm drops also seemed slower than others but all were smooth and seemed to work well. The only bad manoeuvres we saw today were when the team were really pushing the boat around in circles and at one point seemed to lose flow over the new foil and crashed down. This type of thing can be expected in these sessions however, as they were really pushing the boat a load more than we have seen in the last few sailing days.
A couple of tacks were even held halfway through where the yacht was basically foiling head to wind for a period before steering through to complete the tacks. This may have been a drill or maybe cant was not at target on the new foil. Whatever it was however, the tacks were full foiling and very little, if any, losses were made.
As the session continued, the manoeuvres intensified. The team set up just past Bean Rock to the northeast at 14:38hrs. Here they carried out multiple manoeuvres and 360 degree turns in both directions in a small space of time and area. One section of the testing even included multiple manoeuvres, both tacks and gybes, whilst keeping both foils in the water and still maintaining sufficient boat speed to not even get close to losing the rudder elevator lift. From the outside this all would have looked like a pre-start drill, however it carried on for nearly 10 minutes with no stoppage. Obviously the sailors and also the engineers monitoring the yacht were very confident in the way the yacht was performing.
After what was not a long session, but one of the more intense we have seen, the team sailed upwind into Mechanics Bay to drop sails just before 1500hrs. The team looked happy and in good spirits as they arrived back at the dock at 15:30hrs before lifting out at 16:00hrs.
Crew: Peter Burling, Nathan Outteridge, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke
Session Statistics: Emirates Team New Zealand- AC40/LEQ12 - Day 43 - November 15, 2023 - Auckland
- Weather: Cloudy, overcast but clearing - 19°C cloudy
- Wind Strength 12-18kts
- Wind Direction: 230°
- Sea State: 0.2mtr
- Crane In: 1150hrs Dock Out: 1300hrs
- Dock In: 1530hrs Crane out: 1600kts
- Total Tacks: 45 - Fully foiling: 43; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 1
- Total Gybes: 32 - Fully foiling: 32; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0