NZL84 sails in Auckland

Despite its importance in the America's Cup world, the launch of NZL84, Emirates Team New Zealand's brand new boat, was certainly a low-profile event for the team. According to press reports, the boat was sneaked out of the base on Sunday, sailed inside the Hauraki Gulf and then was hurried back behind closed doors. What a difference from NZL82 in Valencia, whose arrival we exhaustively documented last summer, being allowed to take pictures from any possible angle.

You can watch an interesting video on this subject from TV New Zealand here. It is interesting to see how Grant Dalton, Manager of the Kiwi team, plays down the importance of the launch. The boat is expected to return on water on January 9 and be shipped to Valencia some time in February.