A revolutionary new Kiwi boat, which will be sailed in next year's Youth America's Cup, is being tested out on the waters off Auckland.
1 NEWS has exclusive pictures of Kotare, the new nine metre foiling mono hull - an AC9F that is New Zealand designed, developed and built.
“It's like nothing I've ever sailed before,” Round the World sailor Bianca Cook.
The boat will be sure to turn heads overseas when the images of it get out.
“This thing is pretty exciting to sail, we were up and foiling pretty early, look there wasn't many in the world so we had to come up with our own version,”Cook said.
The youth regatta runs alongside the full America's Cup, with 15 overseas teams already confirmed.
Once entries cut off, it means 250 team members and support staff, and millions into the local economy.
“Designed her, built here, all the technology is from here, the whole New Zealand marine industry has got behind this [which] also means jobs,” Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron chief executive Hayden Porter said.
Border exemption requests are underway, for the teams to arrive around October.
“They're willing to do whatever it takes [including paying for their own quarantine], there's no such thing as a free lunch,” Porter said.
With several AC9Fs to be built, all teams will sail in identical boats.
It's the third edition of the Youth Cup, New Zealand won in San Francisco in 2013, the crew included Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
The sailors next year will all be under 25, with a new rule, two male and two females on board.
“Creating more opportunities for more females to get into these boats and get more experience, will bring us up to an even playing field,” Cook said.
That playing field will tear along at close to 30 knots, double the wind speed.
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