Race for the America's Cup
Over the following month's I will bring information updates in regards to Team New Zealand's challenge towards retrieving the international sailings greatest trophy.
This week we will discuss the boats themselves.
As we all found in our second defense when our boats didn't measure up taking on massive amounts of water and the collapse of the mast, kiwi's felt a deep pain in their hearts. There was also much discussion surrounding 'the hula' a new kiwi innovation in match racing design to improve speed and lessen the drag. I still have mixed feelings but we really didn't get to see it work in full match racing due to other problems incurred in serious design flaws forcing us to lose the cup and send it to Europe for the first time in history.
A little recap on the America's cup is that many people forget that it was originally british loosing it to America where it stayed for many many many decades after which it was then branded as their cup trophy. Following in Australia's footsteps New Zealand were the second country to take the cup from America for a second time in its history and exceeded our rival Aussie's by being the first country to succesffuly defend the cup until it left for Europe in the hand's of several of our top kiwi sailors under the backing of some European billionaire whose name I can't recall as i've mentally blocked it from my memory and don't much care to hear it again.
On to the boats
NZL81 is the boat used to win the recent match racing in Valencia Spain which was sent out after NZL82 was damage in a storm in Marseille in 2004. We also have NZL68 on loan from Michael Illbruck which was originally built for the 2003 german challenge before the syndicate pulled out. NZL68 arrived in 2004 where it has been used for testing in the Hauraki Gulf under an extensive program.
Two boats have been designed NZL84 marked as a new generation yacht and lauched in Auckland for testing prior to being shipped to Valencia and the second yacht currently in production and will be finished at the NZ base of operations at the Emirates Team New Zealand base in Auckland's viaduct harbour,due to be released later in the year.
One thing's for sure, we are serious about recovery New Zealand's lost treasure and bring the Trophy to the 'land of the long white cloud'.
This week we will discuss the boats themselves.
As we all found in our second defense when our boats didn't measure up taking on massive amounts of water and the collapse of the mast, kiwi's felt a deep pain in their hearts. There was also much discussion surrounding 'the hula' a new kiwi innovation in match racing design to improve speed and lessen the drag. I still have mixed feelings but we really didn't get to see it work in full match racing due to other problems incurred in serious design flaws forcing us to lose the cup and send it to Europe for the first time in history.
A little recap on the America's cup is that many people forget that it was originally british loosing it to America where it stayed for many many many decades after which it was then branded as their cup trophy. Following in Australia's footsteps New Zealand were the second country to take the cup from America for a second time in its history and exceeded our rival Aussie's by being the first country to succesffuly defend the cup until it left for Europe in the hand's of several of our top kiwi sailors under the backing of some European billionaire whose name I can't recall as i've mentally blocked it from my memory and don't much care to hear it again.
On to the boats
NZL81 is the boat used to win the recent match racing in Valencia Spain which was sent out after NZL82 was damage in a storm in Marseille in 2004. We also have NZL68 on loan from Michael Illbruck which was originally built for the 2003 german challenge before the syndicate pulled out. NZL68 arrived in 2004 where it has been used for testing in the Hauraki Gulf under an extensive program.
Two boats have been designed NZL84 marked as a new generation yacht and lauched in Auckland for testing prior to being shipped to Valencia and the second yacht currently in production and will be finished at the NZ base of operations at the Emirates Team New Zealand base in Auckland's viaduct harbour,due to be released later in the year.
One thing's for sure, we are serious about recovery New Zealand's lost treasure and bring the Trophy to the 'land of the long white cloud'.
posted by Mike J. Stark @ 9:34 pm
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