Team New Zealand's Glenn Ashby predicts 'exceptional' America's Cup, reveals danger of capsizing

Emirates Team New Zealand's Glenn Ashby has revealed what he expects from the new foiling monohulls, warning capsizing could be a real danger for teams.

Ashby, who skippered Team New Zealand to America's Cup glory in 2017, discussed the present campaign on the Yachting New Zealand podcast.

He said the new boats were ticking all the boxes in regards to performance.

"At rest the boats are beautiful, they're sleek, majestic. But in anger they're beasts," Ashby said.

"In a monohull sense, with the rig development they have done and manoeuvrability, I think the match racing side of things will be exceptional.

Peter Burling and skipper Glenn Ashby hold the America's Cup. Photo / Photosport

"Time will tell when we eventually go racing but I think it will be exceptionally sensational.

"It's absolutely out of the box and going to test the boundaries to where they have never been pushed before."

Probed on Team New Zealand's early capsize of Te Aihe in testing, Ashby said it wasn't intentional but that it's proved helpful in learning more about the boat's potential on the water.

"We haven't practised capsizing but we have capsized in practice, it's a real possibility," Ashby said. "When we have rolled the big boat over, that was a genuine mistake and something we've learnt from. The boats are able to capsize and to ultimately get the performance out of what we're doing we don't' have a 20-tonne lead bulb to keep the boat from rolling over.

"You have to learn how far you can push ... you have to learn how far you can go, so when you come to a racing environment you can appreciate where that edge is and you can push up to the edge comfortable and confidently.

"When two boats go head-to-head and pushing each other hard, there's a real chance of capsizing."

Team New Zealand have returned to on-water testing under Covid-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions after being confined to land during the nationwide lockdown.

Ashby admitted they had lost crucial time but was confident the campaign remained on track.

"That six weeks felt like a bit of an eternity ... When you're looking out over the water and not being allowed to be on it, it definitely raises the enthusiasm to get back out there," he said.

"From a design and engineering perspective, a few of the guys could work from home and keep in touch, but from an on-water testing program and a physical boat building program, we certainly did lose some crucial time there.

"Everyone's working hard to try and recoup some of that time."