Graham Dalton's 15m yacht passed its first test yesterday in preparation for the Velux 5 Oceans single-handed race, which starts in Spain in October.
The yacht, named A Southern Man AGD in memory of Dalton's son Tony, who died of cancer last year, was flipped over in Auckland's Viaduct Harbourto ensure it could right itself if it overturned at sea.
Dalton said everything went as planned.
The boat, which has a canting keel, will be shipped to Savannah in the United States in July, then Dalton, brother of Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, will sail it to Spain for the race start.
The five oceans race is the oldest single handed round-the-world yacht race. With just two stops - one in Australia and the other in the US - it covers 55,560km and will take around 140 days.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world, recently announced he will compete. Sir Robin, 67, last raced around the world in 1994 with Sir Peter Blake on ENZA NZ when they won the Jules Verne Trophy.