http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Americas-Cup:-Grant-Dalton-on-the-new-AC72---Aotearoa/106313
Emirates Team New Zealand's Managing Director, Grant Dalton spoke with Sail-World's America's Cup Editor, Richard Gladwell, after the team named their second AC72 - New Zealand Aotearoa.
(Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand, meaning the land of the long white cloud, said to the the first sighting of New Zealand by the first migration.)
Here he elaborates on the new features on the AC72 catamaran, and the thinking behind them, along with an assessment of the competition and where they are ranked.
There have been some hull changes notably in a fining up of the bow and stern, but overall the focus is on drag reduction, and a new phrase was used by the designers at her launch - parasitic drag.
That theme is continued in the new boat with constructed fairings on most items to reduce the boat's aero-footprint as she moves against the apparent wind.
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From the following Sail-World article by Richard Gladwell:
http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Americas-Cup:-Dean-Barker-talks-about-the-sailing-side-of-NZA/106325
Emirates Team New Zealand's skipper, Dean Barker discussed the sailing issues and program with the teams new AC72, New Zealand Aotearoa.
Surprisingly he reveals that the team only have 13 sailors, and that they will be announcing a 'First Eleven' from that group. For most teams that would not even be a viable reserve bench.
That leads to the question as to what the Plan B is for many of the specialist positions on board, including what happens if the skipper has an accident and can't sail? He says the team doesn't have the budget to be able to afford a second helmsman.
According to Barker no decisions have been made on the First Eleven, and that will be decided while they are sailing in Auckland.
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