Yachting: Perfect debut for stealth

By Suzanne McFadden

Like black attracts the heat, the stealthy new black boat drew a healthy share of attention on her maiden sail yesterday.

After repairing a tiny leak in her hull, the Team New Zealand crew took NZL57 out on a perfect spring morning yesterday, hoisting her sails for the first time in the Hauraki Gulf.

Staying at a required distance were interested spectators from the French and Italian camps.

New York's Young America sailed past but kept to her own business, and Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes remained on the horizon.

It was, fortunately, an uneventful and satisfying sail for the Team New Zealand crew, who had to have the matt-black boat back at the dock by 2 pm so she could be dressed up for her christening at sunset last night.

Observers immediately commented on the boat's "interesting" bow.

It is halfway between the long overhang bow that NZL32 and the 1995 genre of cup boats had, and a straight destroyer bow, which virtually goes straight down to the water and makes a boat longer at the waterline.

A rival cup skipper said he doubted that any other boat in this regatta would sport a similar bow.

NZL57 also appears to be narrower than the victorious Black Magic I.

Team New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts said the new boat made an excellent debut appearance.

"We were very cautious, as you always are with a new boat," he said.

"The wind got up to 18 knots but that was very brief when we were coming into the harbour.

"We had her reasonably loaded up, but you wouldn't dream of pushing it too hard on the first sail.

"It was a perfect day for it - and we didn't break anything.

"What more could you want?"

And to the question that everybody wants to know - is the first of the 2000 defence boats fast?

"It's impossible to tell yet.

"A huge speed difference wouldn't show on the first day.

"The instruments aren't calibrated yet, and we didn't push her," Coutts said.

"But for a first sail it was great.

"It was everything we expected. We're excited about tuning her up over the next few months."

Grinder Andrew Taylor, who has sailed in every New Zealand cup campaign, said he loved the new boat.

"Everything went up and down and in and out - it was a perfect first day out there," he said.

"It told us that everyone had done their job well in getting this boat ready - that's the big positive we got out of today.

"We just wanted to take her out and give her a sniff of the Hauraki Gulf.

"Tomorrow we cut her loose."

Every day on the water counts now for the Team New Zealand crew, who will initially tune up the boat against NZL32.

They still have their second defence boat, NZL60, in the construction shed.

Both new boats should be on the water together in November.

Today there could be four new generation cup boats on the Hauraki Gulf - and that number will be doubled next week with the arrival of the Spanish, Swiss and Hawaiian boats this weekend.