Time to move to the southern hemisphere, mate

It's Saturday, 12 August and Valencia together with the rest of Spain and Europe have entered a four-day weekend, marking the peek of the summer vacation period. Nevertheless, not everybody is enjoying a well-deserved swim in one of Valencia's many beautiful beaches. We visited America's Cup Port this morning and found the New Zealanders and the Swedes working hard.

Emirates Team New Zealand put an end yesterday afternoon to their two-boat training program for 2006 in Valencia and are already packing up in order to move most of the team back to Auckland. According to Grant DaltonManaging Director of Emirates Team New Zealand

Click for more info, the team will move to Auckland where the focus will be on building, fitting-out and sea-trialing NZL 92, the team’s second new boat.

When we visited the base, the hull of NZL-82 was already stripped of its mast, bulb and all appendages and stored in its craddle. NZL-84 was dismasted and getting ready to be storred. Nevertheless, we do not know at this stage whether Emirates Team plan to ship NZL-84 back to Auckland in order to train with their two new boats during the southern hemisphere summer.

It's time to move to the southern hemisphere. One day after carrying out their last two-boat training in Valencia this year, Emirates Team New Zealand are packing up in order to partially move to Auckland. Valencia, 12 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

NZL-84 has deen dismasted and is getting ready to be stored. We are not in a position to know whether she will remain in Valencia or be shipped to Auckland. Valencia, 12 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Meanwhile, the Swedish America's Cup challenger is not taking any holiday break soon. Not only are Victory Challenge modifying both their boats, SWE-63 and SWE-73, they have been also carrying out intensive training match races against Shosholoza and Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team during the whole week. The intention of the team, according to Mattias RahmStrategist of Victory Challenge

Click for more info, is to start two-boat training as soon as possible. The team has also tried a number of new sailors that will be incorporated in the near future, in order to have two complete crews.

The Victory Challenge base. The shore crew is carrying out the last modifications on both the team's boats, SWE-63 and SWE-73, right at the peek of summer holidays in Spain. Here, Orm (SWE-73) is in the boatshed getting ready for the two-boat training sessions. Valencia, 12 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Victory Challenge base, with the shore crew working on both the team's boats, SWE-63 (right) and SWE-73 (left), right at the peek of summer holidays in Spain. Valencia, 12 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Closeup on the works on the stern of Örn (SWE-63). Valencia, 12 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing