KEY POINTS:
Grant Dalton is expecting to learn plenty when his team's opposition reveal their most potent yachting weapons tonight in Valencia.
The 11 challengers and defender Alinghi unveil their race boats tonight (NZT), the "keel reveal" day when new design technology aimed at snatching the America's Cup is uncovered.
In the past only the top two challengers and the defender have had to reveal their yachts just before the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. However, this time all of the syndicates will drop their skirts and leave them off until the end of the regatta.
Dalton, Team New Zealand's managing director, believes his team will learn a lot despite some predicting unveiling day to be a disappointment because most observers are picking that the yachts will all look similar.
"I haven't got a clue what is under anyone else's boat," Dalton said. " No idea at all. We'll definitely learn something."
The unveiling reveals the underbody of the yachts exposing the entire hull shape, the keel, bulb, finn and rudder. The positioning of appendages such as the keel give an insight into the balance of the boat which can then be translated into performance.
However, it is important to point out that keel reveal day is taking place on April Fool's Day and, with the keel easily changed, one cannot be sure the appendages the teams' reveal will necessarily be the ones they race with.
Following the unveiling there is one last pre-regatta [Act 13] before the challenger series starts on April 16.
The four-day fleet racing regatta starts on Tuesday. For the challengers there are triple ranking points on offer. The rankings translate into bonus points that are carried into the challenger series. The top-ranked team will get four points, the second, third and fourth ranked teams will all receive three points each and so on.
"In many ways Act 13 is just a distraction... I have always said that if you are the top challenger out of all these acts, that one point might end up important," Dalton said.
"We want to do well but it is fleet racing and with the conditions that we have over recent weeks you could come first or last by half an hour. You wouldn't want to hit it at full peak [ahead of the challenger series] because the guys will run out of gas."
Today: Keel reveal
April 3-7: Act 13, fleet racing regatta
April 16-May 7: Louis Vuitton Cup, challenger elimination series
May 14-24: Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals
June 1-12: Louis Vuitton Cup final
June 23-July 7: America's Cup
