Amokura, the New Zealand team’s Boat, is afloat again.
Just weeks after suffering significant structural damage at the opening SailGP event in Perth, the Black Foils’ F50 has returned to the water in Auckland. The relaunch marks the end of an intense rebuild effort that stretched across three countries and involved round the clock coordination.
From Perth damage to global response
The damage in Perth was substantial. The stern structure required full replacement, forcing the team into a complex repair programme under serious time pressure – actually the biggest mid-season repair effort ever in the history of SailGP.
The forward hull section was containerised in Perth and shipped directly to New Zealand. At the same time, SailGP Technologies in the United Kingdom built a completely new transom from scratch.
Once completed, that new stern section was flown to Auckland, ready to be joined with the original hull.
Precision work at C-TECH in Avondale
The two major components were brought together at C-TECH in Avondale. Working alongside SailGP’s technical crew, the Auckland composite specialists carefully aligned and bonded the new transom to the existing structure.
This stage demanded precision. Structural bonding, composite blending and finishing work had to be exact before the rebuild could move into reassembly. Steering systems, hydraulics, control linkages and electronics were then reinstalled and recalibrated.
At the relaunch this morning, SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts made a point of thanking C-TECH and their team for the role they played in returning the boat to the water.
He acknowledged both the scale of the job and the compressed timeline required to meet racing commitments.
Back in her element
Seeing Amokura settle back into the Waitematā Harbour marked a shift in focus. The structural phase is complete. The next stage is operational.
The team will now run controlled systems checks to confirm steering response, foil control, hydraulic pressure and electronic communications are all functioning correctly. Only once those fundamentals are confirmed can full performance sailing resume.
Germany and Spain have already conducted their own recommissioning sessions. Auckland’s weather, however, remains unsettled, with strong winds and a moderate lightning risk requiring careful planning around launch windows.
If conditions allow, Amokura will complete a short tuning sail to validate all core systems.
From rebuild to racing
The repair effort has spanned Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The finishing work has been done locally, under pressure, and to elite racing standards.
Now, with Amokura afloat once more, the focus returns to what matters most.
Racing.
