Since Team New Zealand's innovative
AC75 fully-foiling monohull design was revealed late last year, sailing
enthusiasts have been curious to see what the radical design could look like on
the water.
And now a video posted to Facebook
by London Corinthian Sailing Club has given an exclusive sneak peek to what
appears to be INEOS TEAM UK's first prototype.
The high performance fully foiling
monohulls are expected to be potentially faster than the catamarans sailed last
year in Bermuda with TNZ's goal of designing a class that would be both
challenging and demanding to sail.
The smaller QUANT 23 seen in the
video appears quite stable in flight mode although it is not known whether the
foiling is under manual or full computer control.
Click here:
Britain's Monohull foiler sailing
Britain's Monohull foiler sailing
Sail-World reported that
the prototype was sailing downwind at speeds of 30kts in 12kts of wind, and
upwind at 20kts while performing foiling tacks and gybes with relative ease.
The British team are the first to
launch a prototype while other teams are believed to have similar projects
underway with the first permitted launch date for the first AC75 just over
eight months away.
INEOS TEAM UK, led by Sir Ben
Ainslie, will challenge New Zealand in the next America's Cup in a bid to claim
the prestigious Auld Mug after 21 British challenges.
Aided by a whopping $216 million war
chest, Ainslie believes the 36th regatta will be Britain's best opportunity
yet.
In the few months since INEOS put
their full support behind the British challenge, the team has been quietly
recruiting some of the best America's Cup sailors and designers, including
former Team New Zealand designer Nick Holroyd.
If more becomes available in the coming months, we will try to bring it to you here at Maritime Maunder. Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
If more becomes available in the coming months, we will try to bring it to you here at Maritime Maunder. Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt