BRITANNIA takes flight in Auckland Harbour - photo © C Gregory
After a full on week for the systems and shore team completing the final fit out, the British team was met by a 165 strong fleet of racing boats about to start New Zealand’s largest coastal regatta ‘The Coastal Classic’ as they exited the Viaduct for their maiden sail.
Team Principal and Skipper Sir Ben Ainslie commented “It was great to be back out on Auckland waters, delivering perfect conditions for our first commissioning sail of BRITANNIA. A huge thank you to the whole shore team and in particular the systems team for their efforts to get us out on the water.
“The early performance indications were good, but we need to maximise our time on the water. The hard work continues.”
BRITANNIA is a significant evolution from the team’s first AC75 with noticeable changes to hull shape and deck layout. Each of the grinders now has their own individual forward facing fixed position, increasing the overall power output significantly from the RB1 set-up.
With 55 days until racing begins in the America’s Cup World Series warm up regatta (Auckland, 17-20 December), INEOS TEAM UK need to make every second count out on the water.
by Nick Heemskerk
The Catamarans Cup International Regatta is back for its 15th anniversary edition, ready to fill…
An incident-packed first day at the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup featured a collision in the…
Tasmanian entrants AdvantEdge and Just Farr Love will be flying the flag for their home…
Get ready to step aboard and set sail. The Pittwater Sail Expo 2025 is this…
Now published, the Notice of Race for the 17th CIC Normandy Channel Race offers double-handed…
The FPY 70S introduces a new way of living at sea. True to the Fountaine…