Team New Zealand’s boat Taihoro is officially out of the shed and ready to hit the water ahead of next year’s America’s Cup.
The team relaunched their AC75 at their Wynyard Point base in Auckland on Monday, a milestone in a campaign that is focused on securing a historic fourth consecutive victory in Naples in 2027.
While Taihoro is the same vessel that dominated the waters of Barcelona, it has undergone a significant refit to meet the new 38th America’s Cup rules.
Team New Zealand chief executive officer Grant Dalton said “to outsiders, there may not be a huge amount that is apparently different”.
“From the outside it looks similar.”
Emirates Team New Zealand’s new AC75 sailing on Auckland’s Hauraki GulfEmirates Team New Zealand’s new AC75 sailing on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf Photo: James Somerset
Under strict cost-containment measures, teams are restricted to their legacy hulls used in the last Cup.
To remain compliant, Team New Zealand’s designers worked within razor-thin margins, limited to three specific modification categories:
- Cockpit Reconfiguration: Extensive work to transition the deck layout for the new crew requirements.
- Structural Rebuilds: The team was permitted to rebuild up to 4sqm of the hull using the same shape but different materials, allowing for localised strengthening or weight optimisation.
- Functional Rebates: Modifications were made to add rebates to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
Team New Zealand’s head of design Dan Bernasconi said despite the same hulls being used again, the rules still allow for some significant technological developments and improvements in the AC75’s.
“The hulls have always been one of the most noticeable features on an America’s Cup yacht, but because the hulls spend so much time out of the water, there is actually not that much difference in the performance of hulls, maybe five seconds around the race course across all of the boats in Barcelona.
“So the class rule and design parameters still allow for important gains and difference in performance from the foils, sails and control systems for example. As with every iteration of the same class of boat, there is no doubt the racing will be a lot closer this time around between all teams.
“So, as always, winning will be a massive challenge for the whole team.”
The crew of Emirates Team New Zealand celebrate winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match against Britain’s Ineos Britannia (not seen), off the coast of Barcelona on October 19, 2024.Team New Zealand first unveiled Taihoro ahead of the 2024 America’s Cup in Barcelona. Photo: LLUIS GENE / AFP
Chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge also expected a step up in performance.
“Internally, our philosophy is to always drive innovation and technology, so we think Taihoro ‘2.0’ will be a great step on from what we saw in Barcelona.” .
The most radical visual transformation lies in the crew pod on either side of the AC75.
The cyclors, who used leg power to provide hydraulic pressure have been retired as per the Protocol. In their place sits a standardised battery system for use across all teams.
This high-capacity battery is now the primary source of power for the yacht’s complex foil and sail control systems.
This technological leap has direct consequences for the crew, moving the challenge from physical exertion to digital discipline, as sailors must manage finite battery limits throughout the race.
Crew sizes have shrunk from eight down to five.
With an odd number of crew, roles are becoming more fluid, or roles like flight control and sail trimming may be further consolidated.
Skipper Nathan Outteridge said there is a lot of anticipation around what the roles of the five sailors will be.
“When you look across all of the teams, the question is who will be in the different positions.
“For us, we have a fresh new team which is an exciting mix of young talent and experience so what that eventually looks like in July next year we don’t know right now. That’s part of what the next block sailing Taihoro is about.”
One certainty in the coming days is Olympic gold and silver medallist Jo Aleh is set to become the first woman to crew an AC75 as a new rule introduced to extend the pathways beyond the AC40’s and Women’s America’s Cup to the America’s Cup itself.
A notable addition to the new layout is a dedicated guest racer pod, designed to allow a non-crew member to experience the raw G-forces of an AC75 at full flight, a feature not seen since the days of the version 5 IACC boats in 2007.
Team New Zealand will be utilising the guest racer spot throughout their sailing block in Auckland over the coming weeks.
The relaunch ceremony was centred around the cultural traditions that have come to define the team’s identity with Iwi Manaaki Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei presiding over the event, blessing Taihoro once again.
The blessing reconnected the vessel with its name, meaning “to move swiftly as the sea between both sky and earth”.
Aucklanders and America’s Cup followers will not have to wait long to see the Taihoro in action.
With the AC75 ready to go sailing, the first seen in the 38th America’s Cup cycle, the team will begin an intensive testing block immediately. Over the coming weeks, Taihoro will be a regular fixture on the Hauraki Gulf, flying across the water as the crew acclimates to the new dynamics of the freshly evolved AC75 before the team refocuses on AC40 racing at the first Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari, Sardinia in May.
