Yachting: Giant jet will carry black boats

Flying the yachts to Spain will allow Emirates Team NZ to continue practising on the Hauraki Gult until mid-February.

Team New Zealand are close to signing a deal which will see them fly their new boats to Valencia in a giant Russian Antonov in mid-February.

The syndicate had planned to have both NZL84 and NZL92 on a ship before Christmas for the five-week journey to Spain.

However, with the start of the challenger series now just 176 days away, Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton said flying the yachts would allow his team to continue sailing in Auckland until mid-February.

"Time is something we can't buy at this end of the campaign ... it became unrealistic to lose five weeks in shipping. It had been tossing around in my mind for a long time, I woke up one morning and thought, 'I have to solve this'."

He said flying was an expensive option "but it is one of those things where we have found outside money to pay for it. It isn't affecting us anywhere else."

In 2004 the team flew NZL81 to Valencia on an ex-Royal Air Force Belfast transport plane after its sister yacht NZL82 was damaged in a storm.

The British plane pales in comparison with the giant AN 124-100 Ruslan Antonov which they hope to use in February.

The Antonov, which is the world's heaviest cargo plane, has 36.5m of inside cargo space and can carry 135 tonnes.

They have been used to carry locomotives, yachts and aircraft parts.

Team New Zealand are planning to put 85 tonnes of gear on board.

"We can get both boats, keels, bulbs, container, chase boat, cradles, [logistics manager] Ian Stewart and most of the shore team," Dalton said.

It is understood that Alinghi and Victory Challenge shared a similar-sized aircraft to transport their boats here in the lead-up to the last cup.

Stewart will head to Sydney next weekend to check the pressurisation on a visiting Antonov.

"It has to be pressured otherwise it could pop the boat," Dalton said.

Asked about other risks, he said, "You don't pick up the paper every day and find an Antonov has fallen out of the sky."

The syndicate will still send a lot of equipment by ship in December.

A longer sailing period in Auckland may give Team New Zealand an opportunity to train with BMW Oracle Racing, who are also here for summer.

It is understood Chris Dickson's Oracle are planning to launch their second new boat here in January.

There has been discussion among yachting fans about how great it would be if the two syndicates squared off in a summer series in Auckland.

Dalton said the idea had also come up at Team New Zealand and was something they would take part in if Oracle were keen.