Cup Spy: Emirates Team NZ score a perfect Winter day
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com 10 Jun 05:33 PDT
Taihoro is flanked by the ACP Recon Unit and the ETNZ chase boat - AC75 - Day 15 - Emirates Team New Zealand June 10, 2026 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com/nz
Emirates Team New Zealand continued on their second day of testing, in their winter program, scoring a perfect day, after several days of inclement weather.
The breeze at the entrance to the Waitemata was recorded in the 12-15kt range from 210°, an offshore breeze, with clear blue skies, thanks to a couple of high-pressure zones moving across the North Island. Similar conditions are forecast to persist through next week, and it will be interesting to see how many days the Kiwis spend of their 45-day sailing quota, which has to last until mid-January 2027.
The team got away early, docking out at 1000hrs and returning at 1630hrs, and should have enjoyed a solid day's sailing in ideal foiling conditions.
The Kiwis will be pleased they didn't repeat the expensive session last week, when they only got 90 minutes of not-so-good sailing for the price of one sailing day, after suffering what is believed to be hydraulic issues.
A sea haze prevailed around the Hauraki Gulf, making it difficult to observe the training session.
They rounded out the session with a few runs in the Rangitoto Channel before sailing back up the harbour to haul out and unrig.
The twists and turns in the Rangitoto Channel, are a good indication that they did not have any breakdown issues during today's session.