Emirates Team New Zealand has completed an important early sailing session with its reconfigured AC75 Taihoro, giving the sailing team its first extended opportunity to test systems, crew roles and manoeuvres on the Waitematā Harbour.
The five hour session began with system checks shortly after 11am before the boat left the dock at 11.30am and headed for Course E, inland of Waiheke Island. Conditions were relatively light, with a north northeast breeze building from around 7 to 12 knots and flat seas across the harbour.
After a tow to the sailing area and some initial technical checks, the team hoisted sails shortly before 1pm. Taihoro began sailing at 1.40pm on starboard tack, taking some time to settle into stable flight before working through a sequence of manoeuvres.
Early sailing included several tacks and adjustments to the jib foot line before the team launched into a short two lap race simulation. During this period the crew executed a series of manoeuvres including eight tacks and five gybes, along with bear aways and round ups as they worked through systems checks and boat handling.
Midway through the session the team stopped briefly to change from a J3 jib to a larger J2. Once sailing resumed, the pace of testing increased with another race simulation that included 11 tacks and eight gybes over roughly 24 minutes.
The final phase of the afternoon saw Taihoro complete practice pre starts, entering once on port and once on starboard before sails were lowered and the boat returned to the dock at 4.39pm.
The crew for the session included Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies on the helm positions, with Blair Tuke and Iain Jensen trimming. Olympic champion Jo Aleh sailed behind the starboard helmsman in the new fifth crew role focused on performance monitoring and systems management.
ETNZ observer, Pierluigi de Felice, noted that despite three crew members making their first AC75 sailing appearance, the boat looked stable in a straight line and manoeuvres improved steadily as the session progressed. Several technical features also drew attention, including the mainsail traveller fairing and the foil cant control logic used through tacks and gybes.
Outteridge described the day as an encouraging first step for the campaign, noting the team had waited patiently for a suitable weather window. By the end of the session the crew had progressed from commissioning checks to completing full race laps and pre start practice.
He also confirmed that the new battery powered control systems replacing the previous generation cyclors appeared well balanced within the rules, while the lighter AC75 platform showed signs of improved acceleration in the lighter breeze.
For the sailing team, the day marked a series of important firsts with several new crew members taking their first turns aboard the AC75 as the campaign moves from testing into more structured performance development.
Readers can find the full technical breakdown and detailed recon analysis in the complete article, along with video of Taihoro flying on the Waitematā Harbour.
Learn more: Recon log: Taihoro first flight – all in the details
