KIWIS FIND THE LIMIT IN AUCKLAND
Breaking things in the pursuit of excellence is where high-performance sailing training inevitably leads. Today in Auckland, in an up and down wind strength with stronger gusts weighing in at around 15 knots, Emirates Team New Zealand were in full test mode over a number of areas both aero and hydro, and with an upper range jib, had a dramatic but inconsequential breakage.
Sailing on starboard tack with the Code J3.2 – a relatively big sail for the conditions – a failure at the sail tack bond (lowest front part of the sail) under heavy Cunningham load (the rope that tightens the front part of the sail and moves the draft of the sail forward) caused what looked like a dramatic failure with the sail coming clean away from the forestay and the carbon battens clattering against the mast. The session, having lasted some four hours, was stopped for further assessment.
Chris Draper, helming from the port (left) side of the boat today opposite skipper Nathan Outteridge in the starboard (right) pod, put it in perspective saying: “That was obviously a bit annoying and a sad way to finish the day because it had been a glamour session up until then. But yeah, it was just a failure on the tack - nothing major and nothing that the team can't deal with and react to very easily. No damage I don't think. We'll see if there might've been a little bit of batten clash with the spar or something like that, but at the moment, it looks like it's fine. A full rig check, and I'm sure it'll be grand. But, yeah, a little bit annoying, but there we go, that's part and parcel of pushing the structures on this boat, and the sails. One of those things.”
Chris is filling in for Seb Menzies in this training block as Seb is up in Quiberon in France for the 49er World Championships from 12-17 May, where he is a hot favourite for glory.
In the meantime, communications are in place to feed back to Seb all the testing data that Emirates Team New Zealand are undertaking in this block, and no doubt one of the key things will be around the foils.
Today the team launched with a barrage of tell-tales across their foils that could be seen with the on-site recon team reporting on-site: “Tell-tales on trailing edges of foil arm and foil flap and a camera on the port foil – the focus is inboard of the foil arm, and the fluid flow at the intersection of the foil arm join to the wing foil.”
Plenty of downspeed manoeuvres could be seen as the sailors tested the stall profile of the foils early in the sess and the on-water Recon Team recounted the following:
On-Water Recon Report
The early phase of the session, conducted in lighter winds of 6–8 knots while heading towards Little Barrier, was clearly focused on controlled warm-up and system checks. During this period, a couple of rudder ventilation events were observed, although it was unclear if this was an aggressive test of rudder rake range or a forced ventilation. Notably the boat was consistently sailed high on ride height. This set the tone for the day: a deliberate exploration of limits, specifically the lower-speed foiling envelope.
As the session progressed, the team repeatedly engaged what appeared to be a defined “high slow mode.” The boat was sailed at elevated ride heights and comparatively low speeds, suggesting a targeted effort to better understand stability and control at the margins of sustained flight. This included deliberate testing of deep and slow configurations, with the crew appearing comfortable pushing the platform into less efficient but highly informative regimes.
Performance data during this phase showed a wide operating range. Downwind speeds reached into the mid-30 knot range, while upwind numbers sat in the 20s. However, the emphasis was less on outright performance and more on control fidelity—particularly during transitions between modes.
A key focus emerged around take-off and stall behaviour. Low take-off speeds were observed in the 14–15 knot range, indicating continued refinement in early flight capability. More importantly, there was clear and repeatable testing of the port foil’s stall limits. The boat consistently dropped out of flight in the 16–18 knot range during these tests, suggesting a structured effort to map the boundary conditions of foil performance and control system response, forcing the stall and observing this process.
Manoeuvre work later in the session highlighted some asymmetries. Tacks exiting onto starboard appeared “thin,” with the boat aggressively catching, while port gybe exits tended to be low with consistent hull splashes. This may point to differences in foil behaviour, control calibration, or crew confidence across modes.
The breeze gradually built into the 12–15 knot range, allowing for more dynamic sailing and a broader test window. Although the 5 knot lulls kept the team from changing down jib sizes. Despite this, the team maintained a strong focus on controlled testing rather than shifting fully into performance mode. There was a brief stoppage just after 1300hrs, followed shortly by the camera system being turned off, and battery changes were carried out at regular intervals throughout the day—further evidence of the heavy reliance on onboard systems and data collection.
The session ultimately came to an early conclusion following a major failure of the jib tack fitting. This was likely due to the jib being out of range and over-loaded on the tack cunningham. This issue effectively ended the day’s sailing, preventing any further testing despite the improving breeze. While the failure appears isolated, it highlights the ongoing load demands in these configurations, particularly when operating at the edges of the design ranges.
Overall, the session was highly methodical and development-driven. The consistent use of high ride height and low-speed modes, combined with targeted stall testing, points to a campaign focused on expanding the controllable flight envelope—particularly at the lower end. Supporting this, the addition of sensors, cameras, and fairings suggests an ongoing cycle of measurement, learning, and iteration.
In summary, this was a technical focused session aimed at deepening understanding of the platform’s limits. The gains here are likely to translate into improved manoeuvre consistency, a broader usable wind range, and increased confidence in both control systems and hardware reliability—despite the day being cut short by the jib tack failure.