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America's Cup Recon: - August 5 - Kiwis reveal some changes after a two month break by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 9 Aug 09:24 HKT Emirates Team NZ - Day 17 - August 5, 2026 - Auckland, NZ © Sam Thom / America's Cup Emirates Team NZ resumed their AC75 sailing program on Wednesday after a two-month break. The team are planning on spending two weeks on the water in the AC75 - having to work around the vagaries of the New Zealand winter, which turned on a cold, blue skies day on Wednesday, and overcast skies on a rare Saturday sailing session. From the photos and recon report there have been some changes made, but no changes recorded on the Recon team's declaration sheet however those could come through in a day or two. One possibility is the team have fitted a modified legacy wingfoil. Under the rules for the next America's Cup teams are allowed to modify a wingfoil to 60% of its original area. The objective being to remove weight, and make a thinner and faster foil. The testing will reveal whether it generates sufficient lift at the bottom end of the wind range to lift the AC75, which in racing configuration will be 545 kg less than the 2024 models which raced in Barcelona. There appear to be more/different cameras on the wing foils - as can be seen in the Recon images. The recon team noted in their report "Lifting onto the foil at 17 knots the acceleration of ETNZ from lift-off to their racing speed seemed much quicker than usual. They were very quickly up to max VMG, especially considering the lighter winds and smaller jib." Saturday's session appeared to be punctuated with several breaks, and it will be interesting to see the comments made by the Recon team, when their report is available. Recon Report – 5th August 2026 Sailing Day 17 Statistics Emirates Team New Zealand - Day 17, August 5, 2026 – Auckland, New Zealand Crew List: - Port Helm: Chris Draper (GBR) - Starboard Helm: Nathan Outteridge AUS/NZL) - Port Trimmer: Iain Jensen (AUS) - Starboard Trimmer: Andy Maloney (NZL) - Pos: 5: Jo Aleh (Port) Wind & Sea Conditions: - AM: Sunny: Wind: 8-18kts 180° (S) - PM: Sunny: Wind: 8-18kts 202.5° (SSW) - Sea State: Flat Sailing Stats: - Dock Out: 1000hrs - Dock In: 1545hrs - Time sailed: 3hrs - Foiling time: Not reported - Tacks: No data Gybes: No data Recon Report - Sailing Day 17 - August 5, 2026 Key Points: - Wide range of wind speed - Difficulty with main hoist - J4 and J3 used. - Cold, dense breeze. A cold but beautiful sunny day in Auckland as ETNZ rolled out of the shed at a slightly earlier than usual 0815 this morning. Splashing down at 0857 and off the dock at 1000. The standard crew of Outteridge, Maloney, Jensen and Aleh, but with Draper filling in on port helm for an absent Menzies [49er sailing in Europe]. It was a long 30km tow down to the far end of the paddock near Passage Rock. A strong 20-knot southerly was quickly easing, and by the time ETNZ hoisted their M2-0 and J4-2 the breeze was already a much calmer 12-16 knots. ETNZ came off the tow at 1042, but it wasn’t until 1118 before the main was fully hoisted, as the main was stuck near the bottom and paused several times as it slowly made its way up. A bit of time was spent between the sail skins, and a man was sent up the mast to get the main fully hoisted. Finally at 1129 ETNZ were able to get underway and sail up onto the foil. Lifting onto the foil at 17 knots the acceleration of ETNZ from lift-off to their racing speed seemed much quicker than usual. They were very quickly up to max VMG, especially considering the lighter winds and smaller jib. They then quickly made their way back up to Eastern Beach where the breeze was stronger and more suitable conditions for the J4-2 they had hoisted. ETNZ then performed some speed runs, reaching across the wind at close to 50knots boat speed, along with some short up and downs before ending their first session at 1212 in the shelter of Motuihe Island. ETNZ then changed to their J3-3 and sailed up onto the foil in a much lighter, but puffy 8-10knots behind Motuihe Island, sailing downwind to the Noises. At 1252 they fell off the foils in a gybe, the breeze was a patchy 7-8knots and below the usual range of the J3, however, the failed manoeuvre was still a small surprise as the boat had plenty of entry speed but on exit appeared to suddenly stall the flow over the sails, causing a pop off the foil. They were then briefly towed by Chase 1 to the other side of the noises where a much steadier and stronger breeze awaited. The session ended at 1307 on the northern side of Rakino Island. A quick VIP swap before ETNZ sailed back onto the foils in a sheltered 8- 10 knots; they then proceeded to head over to Whangaparoa, where the breeze was once again much stronger. The session consisted of much longer runs up and down before ending at 13:58 up by Rangitoto Island. During these longer runs, there appeared to be much more rapid and greater adjustments of the depth of mainsail than previously, with the platform itself remaining relatively stable throughout. Previous sessions had seen a lot of movement in the very top of the main, but this was the most and quickest movement in the middle segment of the main we’ve seen yet, suggesting a lot of work over the recent break to develop these controls and the coordination of the trimming systems. Manoeuvres overall today were minimal, suggesting a focus instead on straight-line speed development in the punchy, cool southerly. ETNZ then swapped back to their J4-2 and sailed onto the foils in a nice 14-18 knot SW. Some short runs up and down closer to Takapuna Beach before running through several pre-starts, slowly working their way back up the harbour. After multiple short runs around the inner harbour off of Mission Bay, ETNZ ended their day at 1515 in the shelter of Mechanics Bay, arriving back at the dock at 1545. Overall, a great winter’s day sailing for ETNZ. A lot of sailing miles around the gulf in search of stronger winds to test in a higher range than usual in a cold, dense breeze. ETNZ showed quick acceleration along with increased speed and depth in mainsail trim. Additional Images: