Team New Zealand have confirmed some structural damage to their AC75 Taihoro and a piece of the hull had to be cut out, with the team working “24 hours a day” to get the vessel back on the water.
Taihoro was damaged this morning when being carried to its cradle by crane after the team’s lone race on the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.
The America’s Cup defender was quick to rule out a return to racing on day two of the double round-robin event - in which Team NZ do not accrue points - and has since assessed the extent of the damage and what their pathway forward looks like with repair work under way.
“There is some structural damage aft in the boat, but the main force was taken on the forward cradle splash,” Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton said.
“Overnight this area has been removed [in other words we have cut the piece out of the hull bottom] and the repair has started which means building a new piece of boat.