Team New Zealand's NZL82 was back on the Hauraki Gulf yesterday for the first time since last year's disastrous America's Cup.
Among those on board were Team New Zealand's managing director, Grant Dalton, skipper Dean Barker, Tom Schnackenberg and several engineers and designers.
At this stage the boat has nobranding and although still black, the hull also has splashes of grey and red which are understood to part of the syndicate's new look.
The yacht, which broke down twice in five races during the last cup, has been undergoing strengthening over the past three months after an independent study into why it and its sister yacht, NZL81, failed.
The findings have not been made public, but Dalton said they had identified precisely what the structural issues were.
The syndicate said it was happy with yesterday's sail but would not comment further.
The boat will be put through a series of tests over the next month before it is shipped to Europe on July 7 in preparation for the America's Cup class regattas which start in France in September.
Also travelling with NZL82 to Europe is NZL57, one of Team New Zealand's 2000 cup boats which has been sold to the French syndicate K-Challenge.
NZL57's sister yacht NZL60 has been leased to K-Challenge as well and will head to Europe in August.
NZL57, 60 and 82 will all be out on the Gulf over the next month.
Work will now begin on NZL81 and the former illbruck boat GER68, which arrives in Auckland in July.
Although Team New Zealand is still trying to raise the $150 million needed to compete in the 2007 cup, it has an extensive programme mapped out for the next year which will be paid for by private benefactors and past sponsors such as Toyota, Telecom, ASB, Xerox and Air New Zealand.
* New Zealander Graham McKenzie has been appointed a member of the jury for the next cup.
