Yachting: Catamaran ready to race after sea trials

Photo / Gilles Martin-Raget

After two weeks of sea trials BMW Oracle officially handed over the keys to their sleek new AC45 catamaran to America's Cup race management (ACRM) in a glitzy ceremony in Auckland yesterday morning.

The boat was blessed by local iwi and visiting dignitaries, including Lady Pippa Blake, before being put on the water for a quick spin around the Waitemata Harbour.

The AC45, which has been described as challenging to sail, yet still very forgiving, is intended as a learning vessel for teams as the Cup moves away from traditional monohulls. The 2013 America's Cup regatta in San Francisco will be contested in AC72s, a larger 72-foot (23m) version of the AC45.

For the up to three months, the challengers will take turns sailing the new catamaran before they take ownership of their own AC45, once the order is completed by Core Builders in Warkworth.

The teams will race in their new boats in a series of eight pre-regattas, dubbed the America's Cup world series, beginning in Europe in July.

There are six confirmed challengers for the 34th America's Cup, three of which have been announced - Italians Mascalzone Latino, Sweden's Artemis and Aleph of France.

Of the three others, one is believed to be from France, one from Australia and the third is widely tipped to be Emirates Team New Zealand.

Team New Zealand were conspicuous in their absence from yesterday's ceremony, but word is the Kiwi syndicate were out training on the new AC45 over the weekend.

Associate Minister of Tourism Jonathan Coleman, who was at the ceremony, dropped further hints ETNZ would be involved in the next regatta, relaying details of a text sent by Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton about the performance of the new cats.

Coleman also confirmed the Government would help fund some of Team New Zealand's campaign.

"We're hoping Team New Zealand will be involved and if they are there is money ring-fenced from the Government to make sure they bring the Cup back here," he said.

Coleman said the Government was also very keen on securing Auckland as a stop for the America's Cup world series and it seemed that sentiment was shared by the chief executive of the ACRM, Ian Murray, who acknowledged the importance of getting the buy-in from the New Zealand public for the event.

Murray said there had been preliminary discussions and "there are certainly encouraging signs".

"There's a realisation that the America's Cup is a significant event for New Zealand," he said.

Yesterday's ceremony was as much about giving the New Zealand marine industry a pat on the back as it was a celebration for the dawn of a new era in the America's Cup.

Core Builders began work on the first of the catamarans in September last year and Murray said it was remarkable they had been able to complete such a technically advanced yacht in such a compressed timeframe.

"When you see the complexity of a boat like this and the fact that there hasn't really been one built like this before, to come up with all the technology, all the design and to get it here by January is truly an achievement," Murray said.