America’s Cup: Another genius Team New Zealand design move – Stuff.co.nz

COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi

Team New Zealand's lowered deck has allowed them to drop the mast and produce more power from the bottom zone of their mainsail.

Team New Zealands designers have produced another piece of magic that could prove highly influential to the defence of the Americas Cup.

As the Kiwi boat Te Rehutai goes through the final phase of its development ahead of the start of the Cup match on March 6, plenty of attention is focusing on the sails in all three boats left in the regatta.

While Team New Zealand unveiled their new-look batwing mainsail earlier last week - a sail that has the top section narrowed considerably to produce less drag in high winds - its what has happened further down that has given the defenders a decided point of difference.

Team New Zealand have cleverly worked a way to produce more power at the bottom of their mainsail.

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They have achieved that by lowering the mast rotation point on the deck.

Under the rules, mast lengths cant change and all boats must have the same length.

But Team New Zealands move with their second generation boat to lower their actual deck significantly, giving the appearance of having their cockpits higher, has allowed them to have their mainsail operate significantly lower than either Luna Rossa or Team UK, the teams racing the Prada Cup challengers final to see who will take on the Kiwis.

A lowered rig and larger sail area closer to the water translates to more power and, crucially, a better righting moment.

That is significant on these foiling monohulls, allowing the Kiwis to get up on their foils quicker. In light winds, it could be a real bonus.

STUFF

Stuff's Duncan Johnstone and Todd Niall on the day when TeamUK halted Luna Rossa's Prada Cup Final run .

Crucially, there will be no opportunity for their opposition to copy this.

Respected Americas Cup analysts Mozzy Sails in Britain, picked up on the Team New Zealand feature as they looked at the sail systems of the teams, saying the Kiwis had spotted a hole in the rule and exploited it. They felt the rival syndicates would be kicking themselves they hadn't come up with the idea.

All the teams have been working on ways to seal their mainsails as close as they can to the decks to reduce cross flow and turbulence and maximise the power of the giant double-skinned soft wingsail used for the first time in the Cup.

COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi

The red lines on the deck under Luna Rossa's mainsail won't be simply a stylish paint job.

The Italians and Team New Zealand are operating boomless systems that sweep the sail very close to the decks. Team UK are operating a more traditional boom that doesnt appear as neat or efficient.

There are suggestions the Italians may even have engineered a magnetic system between the bottom of the mainsail and the deck to increase the efficiency of their system.

They will be looking at every way they can to outwit Team New Zealand with Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena this week admitting, unfortunately at the moment, especially in a certain wind range, they are really fast.

Teams are able to shape the top and bottom zones of the sails during racing.

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