Boating New Zealand will be on site from 3pm to talk to the team as the AC75 is lifted back into the water. We will bring video, photos and interviews from the dock as the afternoon unfolds, aiming to show the relaunch as it happens.
For many sailing fans, this will be the first opportunity to see the Cup-winning boat back on the Hauraki Gulf. And of course, it’s the first time we will see the boat without its traditional cyclors; they are out, in favour of battery-powered hydraulics.
The AC75 returns
The boat returning to the water this afternoon is the same AC75 that helped Emirates Team New Zealand defend the America’s Cup in Barcelona.
While the yacht has remained onshore since that campaign, the sailing team has continued training in the AC40, the smaller foiling class used across the America’s Cup programme.
The AC40 allows teams to keep sailors sharp and practice manoeuvres, but it is not a substitute for time on the AC75. The AC75, the larger of the two boats, carries far greater loads, travels at higher speeds and demands tighter coordination between the helms, flight controllers and grinding team.
Having the AC75 sailing again marks an important step in the next phase of the campaign.
Sailing time now tightly controlled
The return of the AC75 also reflects the timing rules set out in the protocol for the 38th America’s Cup, which will be sailed in Naples in 2027.
Under those rules, teams were required to observe a mandatory AC75 sailing blackout until 15 January 2026.
From that point onward, sailing days on the AC75 are limited to 50 days per year, placing a premium on every opportunity to train on the full-sized boat.
Training time on the AC40 is also restricted, capped at 35 days per year from mid 2025.
The protocol also removes the development loophole that once allowed teams to build prototype training boats. With those experimental yachts no longer permitted, the AC75 programme is now much more tightly defined.
Back on the Hauraki Gulf
Later today the cranes will lift the AC75 back into the harbour and the team will step aboard for the first sailing period of the new cycle.
For Auckland’s sailing community it will also be a welcome sight. The AC75 remains one of the fastest monohulls ever built, capable of flying clear of the water on its foils at speeds well above 40 knots.
Boating New Zealand will be at the launch site this afternoon bringing readers video, photos and interviews from the dock as the boat returns to the water.
