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Watch: Team NZ's foiling mononhull for America's Cup tested on Waitematā Harbour

September 11, 2019

The Kiwi crew tested the wingsail this morning after launching the AC75 last week.

Team New Zealand have taken their new America's Cup boat out on the water this morning for a brief test.

The yacht, Te Aihe, will be used in Team NZ's America's Cup defence in 2021.

The syndicate boss said America’s Cup fans can expect the yacht to hit speeds of up to 50 knots on the Hauraki Gulf.

The foiling monohull, named Te Aihe, was launched on Friday at an unveiling ceremony in Auckland but poor weekend weather stopped them from sailing. However the boat hit the water yesterday.

Today the AC75 was towed out into the Waitematā Harbour where it remained tied up to one of the team's support boats as testing on the sails was undertaken.

One team member scaled the 26.5m mast as the wingsail was raised and lowered.

The boat itself is 23m long and weighs 6.5 tonnes. It will carry 11 crew when it races.

Team New Zealand say it will be faster than its predecessor - the AC50 catamaran called Aotearoa.

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