First day foiling since Barcelona - Emirates Team New Zealand - AC75 Taihoro - Auckland - March 13, 2026 - photo © Hamish Hooper / Emirates Team New Zealand
Unsurprisingly Emirates Team NZ have just closed down one of their four previous crew fox-holes, each side – leaving three available. Our guess is that as previously the aft fox-hole is for one of the co-helms. Jo Aleh was seen trying one of these for size, and it will be interesting to see if she is one of the co-helms for the Cup.
There were not a lot of obvious changes, except a new version of the mainsail sheet hydraulic control seems to be installed. But that will only be fully revealed when sailing shots are available.
From the viewing position on the dock, it was not possible to see into the fox-holes to get an understanding of where the various controls were located, now the the AC75 is solely powered by battery.
The team said at the launch ceremony last Monday that the AC75 would be sailing in its Barcelona configuration – aside from the removal of cyclors and the weight reduction permitted by the latest version of the AC75 class rule. In that regard the corrector weight, on the main foil arm where the standard one design arm joins the custom design wingfoil, is a different smaller shape – reflecting a lighter corrector weight.
As can be seen in the video, the team went through a series of dockside checks, before being towed to the eastern side of Browns Island, and into the “Paddock” – the team’s usual training ground.
Condition were overcast in Auckland, with a lot of haze, and moderate easterly winds, with a flat seastate.
The team could be seen training in the Paddock, or Course E, in the 2021 America’s Cup. They towed home around 5.00pm after a longish day on the water in 15-20kt north easterly breeze, which is top-end for breaking in a new crew.
The Defender of the America’s Cup is back in its element. Today, Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC75, Taihoro, officially returned to the Waitemata Harbour for its first day of sailing since the historic moment the team secured the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona — 510 days ago.
The return to home waters marks a significant milestone, as Taihoro becomes the first AC75 to sail in the 38th America’s Cup cycle. This early launch sets a clear tone for the defence: a frantic and relentless development and optimisation race.
The day was not just about aesthetics; it was a rigorous technical exercise. After its journey back from Spain, Taihoro has been through a full refit to bring it in line with the updated class rule for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup as well as integration of updated internal control systems.As with most first days on the water the team took Taihoro through a comprehensive range of recommissioning procedures to ensure the platform is carefully loaded up, systems working, and data points measuring.
Starting with a long tow testing out to Auckland’s ‘back paddock’ south of Waiheke Island and progressing through load testing rigging and internal structures under pressure, before sheeting on and working Taihoro up to full trim to transition from displacement to flight.
The Auckland weather provided an active dynamic for the session, with a consistent NE-N breeze blowing between 12–16 knots. Normally top end for a first sail and commissioning, they allowed the crew to quickly get the boat up on its foils.
Skipper Nathan Outteridge was very pleased at how the first day went, with the team making the most of the precious hours on the water.
“Getting Taihoro back on the Waitemata is a proud moment for the entire team. It takes an army to just get an AC75 back onto the water, and a dedicated one at that. But to have the successful day we had out there, sheeting on and popping up foiling then working through a long list of tests is a real testament to the whole team. The boat felt great, the conditions were perfect but in saying that it’s the first step in a very long and intense road toward defending the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup next year,” Outteridge said.
Seb Menzies shared the helming duties, on the starboard and port helms respectively, with Blair Tuke, Iain Jensen, and Josh Armit rotating through the flight control positions.
The day was further distinguished by a historic first: Jo Aleh was onboard for the session in the 5th sailor position, becoming the first woman to sail an AC75.
Her first impressions of the AC75: “It is a very impressive boat, definitely different to the AC40. Just the raw power and speeds we got up to straight away, you can see that it’s going to get pretty aggressive as you get shaken around, but I felt pretty locked in already so I have to say the training on the AC40 is been working well,” said Aleh.
The data gathered today will immediately feed into the design and simulation loops as the team looks to stay ahead of the chasing pack in what is expected to be the most technologically advanced America’s Cup cycle in history.
by Richard Gladwell & Hamish Hooper/ETNZ
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