On Tuesday, they appeared to find the edge of those limits.
With Leo Takahashi, Seb Menzies, Oscar Gunn and women’s team member Erica Dawson onboard one of the team’s AC40s, the boat was ripping around on the Waitematā Harbour in about 16 knots of breeze. However, as they lifted the starboard foil arm out of the water to complete a gybe, the boat appeared to become unbalanced before slamming nose-first into the sea and ultimately settling on its side.
The crew onboard came away unscathed, and while the jib sail was left with a shark bite-like rip in it, the boat was otherwise undamaged. It was the first time either of the youth or women’s teams had capsized since starting their on-water training period in March.
“We decided not to have a two-boat sailing day just because it was a bit of a rinse and repeat of the conditions we have been seeing, so we gave the day to the Youth and Women but yeah, they found the edge today,” Team NZ coach Ray Davies said.
The jib was damaged on the AC40 being sailed by members of Team New Zealand's Youth and Women's America's Cup teams. Photo / Sam Thom, America's Cup
“So we had a capsize and it’s inevitable that was going to happen at some point as they’re pushing the limits of the boat up the wind range a little bit.
“You know they’ll go back through it but there’s probably a little bit too fast a turn rate and in the gybe and [they’ve] probably came out a little bit hot and next thing the rudder came out of the water and it all happened pretty quickly from there.”
Recently, the Team NZ youth and women’s teams have been training alongside the America’s Cup team, who are two-boat testing with their new AC75 now en route to Spain; a period that had clearly benefitted the sailors.
“They are progressing really well. You do have to respect the boat and as you sail in different conditions on puffy days just adapting to those conditions, it’s exciting,” Davies said.
Finding and pushing the limits is a key part of the learning process for the teams as they look to make the most of their time on water before the regatta in Barcelona. The 12-team youth regatta will be the first completed as it runs during the semifinals and final of the America’s Cup Challanger Series in mid-September. The Women’s regatta follows, running from the end of the Challenger Series and being completed at the start of the Cup match in October.
The women’s and youth regattas are comprised of the six America’s Cup teams and six invited nations, with the inclusion of the two regattas providing the platform to showcase more top talent from around the world.
America’s Cup key dates
Barcelona Preliminary Regatta: August 22-25
Louis Vuitton Cup round-robins: August 29-September 8
Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals: September 14-19
Youth America’s Cup: September 17-26
Louis Vuitton Cup finals: September 26-October 5
Puig Women’s America’s Cup: October 5-13
Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup match: October 12-21
