Yachting: NZ design team on different tack

By Suzanne McFadden

Skipper Russell Coutts believes Team New Zealand's first new boat to defend the America's Cup is unlike anything in the challenger fleet so far.

Coutts reckons NZL57 is "significantly different" from the other new generation cup boats he has seen.

It may be gamesmanship. He may be spot on.

But trained eyes will be able to make that call on September 9 when NZL57 is christened.

Whether the difference, if any, is for better or worse won't be known for certain until February next year, when TNZ finally get to race. And you can bet that their second yacht, NZL60, will be different again.

Team New Zealand are doing their homework on the challengers, studying photos and film - and making personal observations - of new boats launched around the world.

Some syndicates aren't hiding from inquisitive eyes.

Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes arrived last weekend wearing a figure-hugging plastic wrap which left little to the imagination.

And true to his word, Conner has left the skirts off the boat, and she is on display in her open-ended shed on her village base. USA55 should be in the water by next weekend.

The Swiss Fast 2000 syndicate haven't been bashful either - showing off the shape of their hull before she went into the final stages of construction.

In contrast, Young America's first boat, USA53, tried to sneak into town without attention - but it's not easy to disguise an America's Cup yacht.

The boat is now locked away in the shed on their base, having her appendages attached before she makes her debut dip into the sea some time next week.

Skipper Ed Baird arrived in Auckland yesterday. New York's second boat, USA58, will be here in three weeks' time.

The Americans have led the invasion of Auckland's waterfront - three US syndicates are now ensconced in the village, with a fourth, Aloha Racing, the next team due in.

The bulk of the challenger fleet are now somewhere on the ocean, packed on container ships heading to New Zealand.

The Swiss are doing it differently - their boat is being airlifted on a Russian Antonov plane, stopping in the US to pick up a mast, before arriving here on September 13.

The last to arrive will be one of the favourites, Paul Cayard's AmericaOne, whose ETA is October 1 - just days before the deadline for all syndicates to be in the country.