America's Cup racing is set to get airborne.
The long-hinted-at possibility that the new AC72 wing-sailed catamarans will have hydrofoiling capabilities was confirmed yesterday, with Team New Zealand offering media an on-water demonstration of their high-flying cat.
Up until now, Emirates Team New Zealand had been trying to play down the capabilities of their new boat. But the cat was let out of the bag, so to speak, when a sailing enthusiast snapped pictures of the team training on the Waitemata Harbour last week, which appeared to show the boat foil-borne.
The pictures, which were published on Boating New Zealand's Facebook page, created a storm of discussion in the sailing community with some pundits claiming the images had been Photoshopped. But Team New Zealand yesterday took journalists out on the water for a close-up look at the giant catamaran in action, revealing the hydrofoiling abilities.
Reaching speeds in the high 30 knots, the catamaran literally flew around the Waitemata, getting airborne for up to 10 seconds at a time. The foils work to reduce draught and increase speed, lifting both hulls of a catamaran out of the water.