Video: Last trip for the old America's Cup "dinosaurs"

According to the new "world order" that has now been established in the sport of sailing, the "old and boring" big monohulls, like the dinosaurs, are destined to become an extinct species, at least in the America's Cup. A pair of those yachts, NZL-84 and NZL-92, were loaded yesterday in Auckland onto a cargo ship heading for Dubai. Emirates Team New Zealand will provide two of the yachts that will be used in the upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy in Dubai. In fact, it will be the last time an IACC yacht is used in official racing.

Kevin Shoebridge, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Team NZ, talks about the last trip of his team's old America's Cup yachts. Auckland, 22 September 2010. Video copyright NZ Herald

Emirates Team NZ designers comment on the three semifinalist boats

Emirates Team NZ issues a monthly newsletter that often is as educating as informative. In the May issue of this 2-page newsletter, the challenger's design team makes some very interesting observations on the yachts of the other three semifinalists of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

According to Grant DaltonManaging Director of Emirates Team New Zealand

Click for more info, general manager of the kiwi challenger, all boats are capable of winning the semifinal and "only one thing is for sure: there will
be no easy races in the semi-finals or the final".

Here is the integrity of their very interesting observations, as they appear on the newsletter:

BMW Oracle USA-98
USA 98-is certainly nothing less than one would expect from the self-professed “technologically most advanced team in the competition”. The hull design looks like a progression of the Bruce Farr/Oracle style, with no obvious signs of Juan Kouyoumdjian’s input.

Oracle have pushed the rules to the limit in making a 50% change to their first boat USA 87, effectively giving them 3 new hulls to sail during the 2007 challenge. Their appendage package has echoes of 2003 with a relatively long bulb which is slumped and has a chine with lawn mower (helicopter) winglets, a set up appropriate for moderate sea breeze conditions.

Alone among the challengers BMW Oracle ran a jumper less rig in the rounds robin, another indication of their prodigious spending power. The American boat has shown good speed in all conditions, but their chances of topping the challenger standings were undermined by headfoil failures in Act 13, and round robin 2.

Desafio Espanol ESP 97
This Reichel-Pugh, Scott Graham design has performed well during the rounds robin, claiming the scalp of Oracle and doing enough to claim fourth place in the standings.

The hull is traditionally proportioned and exhibits moderate bow fullness, similar to USA-98. The bulb is of moderate length with quite aggressive slumping, but no chine.

Generally the appendages match the hull shape in terms of seeking optimum performance in light to moderate airs. The hull has similar beam to the other semi-finalists.

Luna Rossa ITA 94
The Italians have gone for the most extreme hull shape in the fleet, having aggressively square sections throughout the length of the boat, coupled to an aft center of buoyancy position.

This style of hull should perform well upwind in moderate to strong winds, but the boat seems less happy downwind in light airs. The designers have been experimenting with different fin and bulb configurations during round robin 2 to optimize the boats performance profile.

Skipper Franceso de Angelis talked about finding the “right pieces of the puzzle” at the skippers’ press conference, so clearly there is more development to come.

The four semifinalists
Luna Rossa's ITA-94. Valencia, 9 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Desafío Español's ESP-97. Valencia, 9 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle's USA-98. Valencia, 9 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ's NZL-92. Valencia, 9 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Rumors in the America's Cup

Planted stories, rumours and misinformation are part of the America’s Cup. This is what Peter Lester, world-renowned America's Cup commentator from New Zealand, wrote last Saturday in a column in the New Zealand Herald. There is an ongoing rumor in Valencia and around the internet about an alleged structural damage on NZL-92, the newest yacht of America's Cup challenger Emirates Team New Zealand.

The kiwi team has obviously denied having suffered any damage whatsoever and we have shot pictures of NZL-92 being towed out of Port America's Cup a couple of days after the alleged incident. When everybody thought the matter was closed, the rumor resurfaced with a fantasy picture, allegedly taken by some other team (respecting the 200-meter rule) the moment the New Zealand boat broke. Just like dozens of other people here in Valencia we received earlier today the now-famous photo.

This is supposed to be a picture taken by somebody in the race course the moment NZL-92 broke around 2 weeks ago. This can obviously be any picture of the team training, scaled down and then digitally altered.

It looks more like a bad joke rather than a genuine photo of the supposed incident. Obviously, what strikes first is why would anyone take a black and white photo when even elementary mobile phones have better image quality!!

The reason we publish this photo is to show that psychology plays a very important role in the America's Cup and there are people that would go to such lengths as produce such a crappy picture, hoping to influence the other teams. Of course, it could be some form of reverse-psychology maneuvers by the New Zealanders themselves!!

In exactly nine days we'll know the truth.

Emirates Team New Zealand boats

Moments after the end of the parachute show, Emirates Team New Zealand were passing by on their way to a (I suppose) two-boat training day. Unlike other days, both boats were side by side, towed by one motorboat, giving the opportunity to take some comparison pictures. Although both of them are very similar, they can be distinguished by their bows. The older boat, NZL-84, has a steeper upward curve.

As it seems, not only were the rumors of severe structural damage in NZL-92 unfounded, we have been hearing both boats are fairing very well in their training match races.

NZL-84 (left) and NZL-92 of Emirates Team New Zealand being towed out of Port America's Cup.

NZL-84 (left) and NZL-92 of Emirates Team New Zealand being towed out of Port America's Cup.

NZL-84 (back) and NZL-92 of Emirates Team New Zealand being towed out of Port America's Cup.enormous

Emirates Team NZ resume training in Valencia aboard NZL-84 and NZL-92

The leading America's Cup challenger resumed earlier today their full training schedule in Valencia. The New Zealanders left their base at around noon with their two yachts, NZL-84 and NZL-92. The latter made her maiden appearance in the host city of the America's Cup but the former has had a successful racing performance here, winning Louis Vuitton Act 12 in 2006.

NZL-92 being towed out of Port America's Cup for her maiden training. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

NZL-92 being towed out of Port America's Cup for her maiden training. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

NZL-92 being towed out of Port America's Cup for her maiden training. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

According to the empirical and unscientific poll on this website, 42% of our readers think these men on this boat will face Alinghi in The America's Cup match, approximately 4 months from now. Valencia, 5 March 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZL-84 and NZL-92 arrive in Valencia

After a two-day trip aboard the enormous Antonov cargo plane, NZL-84 and NZL-92, the two latest-generation yachts of Emirates Team New Zealand, arrived this morning in Valencia. At around 1pm the two boats that could eventually win the 32nd America's Cup arrived in their base at Port America's Cup and were tucked inside the team's boatshed, away from indiscreet eyes. Valencia Sailing was there to welcome and greet the two high-tech hulls.

Emirates Team NZ will try to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and, probably, the America's Cup with two boats in its amunition, NZL-84 and NZL-92.

NZL-84 was built in Auckland in 2005 and first launched there, just before Christmas of that year. At the beginning of 2006 she was transported to Valencia and relaunched in mid April. The kiwi America's Cup challenger raced with this boat during the whole 2006 season, finishing third in both Louis Vuitton Acts 10 and 11 and first in Louis Vuitton Act 12, where they clearly outperformed all other 11 teams, losing just 2 races out of 17. After the end of the northern hemisphere summer and racing activity in Valencia she was once again shipped back to Auckland where she was used during the team's two-boat training sessions, together with NZL-92

NZL-92 hasn't been used in official racing yet and in fact this is her maiden trip to Valencia. She was built in 2006 and launched in Auckland on October 19. Since that day, together with her older sisterhip NZL-84 they have been training extensively in the Hauraki gulf, spending six or more hours on the water, five or six days a week. Around ten days ago, the team finished their winter training in New Zealand and both yachts were flown to Valencia, arriving today morning.

According to the team, the shore crew will now prepare the two boats for sailing and the New Zealanders will resume their training on March 5, this time of course off Valencia's coast.

NZL-84 and NZL-92 about to enter the Emirates Team New Zealand base. Their identity is unclear to us, although it seems that NZL-92 is on the left and NZL-84 on the right. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

We haven't been able to unequivocally identify the two hulls and in order to avoid errors we will refer to them as Boat 1 and Boat 2, according to the order in which they entered the base.

Boat 1Judging from the form of her bow it is NZL-84, but again, we have no unequivocal proof.

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Boat 2This must be NZL-92, but again, we have no unequivocal proof.

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ boat. Valencia, 24 February 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team New Zealand yachts take off for Valencia

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand’s race yachts (NZL-84 and NZL-92) are on their way to Valencia, stowed in the massive hold of an Antonov cargo aircraft.

The aircraft left Auckland at daybreak on a 56-hour journey to Spain.

Team shore crew and engineers carefully loaded the aircraft on Tuesday. The shrink-wrapped yachts, masts, keels and bulbs were accompanied by several tones of gear and sails.

The aircraft will arrive at Valencia airport early on Saturday morning. Many members of the shore crew are in Valencia and sailing crew leave over the next few days.

The Auckland base is now closed and team operations switch to Spain. Already shore crew members are readying the base for the Antonov’s arrival. The team's workshops, 60ft tender, chase boats and container loads of equipment have either arrived in Valencia by sea or a due soon. Sailing crew and remaining shore will progressively fly north over the next 10 days.

By early March, the team will be fully operational again. NZL 92 and NZL 84 will be sailing off Valencia and the team will be back into some serious preparation for the regattas which start in April. The yachts will be sailing again on March 5.

NZL-84 and NZL-92 being loaded into the Antonov cargo plane. Auckland, 21 February 2007. Photo copyright Emirates Team New Zealand

NZL-92 launched in Auckland

[Text and Images: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand has launched its second 2007 race yacht, with Prime Minster Helen Clark performing the honours at the team’s Auckland base.

More than 800 people closely associated with the campaign, including sponsors and suppliers, were invited to a base barbecue to celebrate another milestone on the road to the 2007 America’s Cup.

Team managing director Grant Dalton said the launch of the new yacht sets the course for the rest of the campaign.

"The hardware is in place … now it is up to the team to put together a regatta-winning performance. To achieve that we are now racing against the clock. We have come a long way since 2003 and we have a long way to go."

“We have until April 16 next year to pull together all the strands that will make it possible to win the America’s Cup. According to the Omega countdown clock that is 178 days from now. In NZL 92 we think we have a potentially competitive yacht. Now, the yachtsmen, designers and shore crew have to extract that potential. That’s not as easy as it sounds. We launched NZL 84 in December last year and we’re still learning something every time we go sailing in it."

Related multimedia content:
- For pictures of the launch and first sail of NZL-92 in Auckland click here.
- For a video of the launch from TV New Zealand click here.

Emirates Team New Zealand sail NZL-92 for the first time in Auckland. Photo copyright: Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand.