The foil grind goes on for Emirates Team New Zealand with a return to training in Auckland on Tuesday in a confused left-over sea state and a pretty full range of breeze conditions with the team rolling out a new aero-bomb at the top of the foil shoe at the connection with the foil arm shaped like an anvil with a protruding leading edge.
The standard wisdom is that these protrusions, usually seen off the trailing edge are the area where correctors are housed to achieve minimum weight, they could also be housing actuator systems for the foil flaps, but this looks perhaps different. A highly sculpted bulb with dilets leading off the slight protrusion aft (incidentally where the inspection hatch for the actuators is clearly housed), forward it’s a raking ‘V’ driving water flow down to the four-fence arrangement. Interesting development and one that is no doubt the result of endless hours in the simulator seeking to achieve better flow attachment at that top end and spreading the mass out to achieve greater overall balance and feel in the foil itself.
Testing it out today over a near-three-hour session was the standard test team led by Peter Burling, an engineering graduate of Auckland University who, as has become customary, slowed the boat at one point and climbed out to inspect the outer foil arm as we have seen in nearly all recent sessions. Quite what is causing attention there – at the flap join – is unknown but nearly every session sees a climb-out and Pete can clearly feel something when he’s steering.
Amplifying the concern, Blair Tuke was also seen briefly leaning over the port aft quarter with the boat heeled to look at the rudder foil. The devil is in the detail, but the Kiwis are keeping tight-lipped with Blair only commenting afterwards on the anvil foil shoe: “That’s all to do with the mass distribution you know things we have been playing with, that’s no big secret, so we were just trying that out and it’s not the best-looking thing but yeah it went alright.”
Overall, a good session with the team piling on the pressure on that port foil over long runs out to the Noises, a collection of small islands lying north-east of Rakino Island, and then back again with the sensor-heavy starboard foil getting equal treatment on the way back-in. Asked if they achieved the data gathering from the day, Blair responded: “Yeah, we certainly did, it was a really good day, we’ve been off the water for a week or so and couldn’t really ask for better conditions, anywhere between 8 knots or a bit less at times and up to 15 or 16 knots so yeah good day in this little bit of leftover sea state from the nor-nor-west, lot of wind yesterday around so yeah it was good.”
And asked whether there were any mode changes made to accommodate for the conditions, Blair responded: “It just makes it harder for everyone on board which is which is quite fun so yeah we’ve said before these days are pretty important for us to jump on in the Hauraki Gulf, it’s not always like that, so it’s much more similar to the conditions that we will expect and what we experienced in Barcelona last year.”
Good first session of the week for Emirates Team New Zealand who will be looking to ramp up this final foil testing block ahead of their new AC75 launch in April. These are the hard yards where the Cup is won. (Magnus Wheatley)
On-Water Recon Report – Emirates Team New Zealand: Day 67 on the Hauraki Gulf in LEQ12 for ETNZ. Rolling out of the shed at 10:50am, Recon noticed some new attachments to the Port foil arm and new sensors on the Starboard foil.
Splashing the boat shortly after roll out the team ran through the normal dock checks and left the dock just after 1200. Towing out the harbour towards Mechanics bay in a south westerly breeze. Hoisting the M2 Main and J2 Jib the team started sailing out the harbour down the Rangitoto channel.
Gybing their way down the Northern shore of Rangitoto the team looked to be trying different modes to deal with the confused sea state. With a left over North easterly swell rolling into the harbour and the wind chop from the South West it was tricky sailing conditions. The team did a good job controlling ride hight throughout downwind manoeuvres and tackled the sea state well.
After a solid downwind run finishing near Haystack Island the team stopped to check over the port foil. Spending a brief moment here they showed no signs of concern and continued sailing, heading upwind towards Rangitoto lighthouse.
ETNZ Chase One was getting very close to the LEQ12 going upwind on Starboard. Looked to be taking video of the new foil arm attachment. Tacking upwind the team completed multiple solid manoeuvres in the tricky sea state. With a good fast bear away the team continued sailing downwind back towards Haystack.
Stopping abruptly out of a tack the team tipped the boat over to leeward slightly to have a look at the rudder foil. Spending a few minutes here checking over the rudder. They then popped back on the foil with and sailed upwind in normal sailing conditions. Eventually heading back towards the harbour and calling it a day.
