ETNZ America's Cup Challenger - Up and Foiling

Spotted around Auckland recently, ETNZ's powerful and impressive America's Cup catamaran, sporting a huge articulated wing, and, we have recently learned, foils on her appendages.  The cat seems able to foil on just one centreboard and rudder, and it is hard to imagine how they are able to support the weight and load of the hulls and rig above.

The TV3 news crew got a first hand look recently:

http://www.3news.co.nz/Team-NZ-and-their-flying-machine/tabid/317/articleID/268332/Default.aspx

And ETNZ posted some footage too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_dBbb9-R50&feature=player_embedded

and the crew bought the monster through the Friday Night Rum Race fleet last Friday, demonstrating the obvious confidence the crew have in manouevring the boat in close quarters, and the confined spaces of the Waitemata Harbour (see more at http://www.sail-world.com/NZ/Americas-Cup:-Emirates-Team-NZs-Foiling-Flypast-on-the-Waitemata/102022).

As exciting as it all looks, apparently it's not yet certain that teams will use foils in the Cup itself, and the trick will be to determine if the extra speed downwind will offset the drag when sailing upwind when the boat is not foiling.

 

Rum racers got a close up view of the Red Rocket on Friday
(www.sail-world.com)