Emirates Team New Zealand Te Rehutai Day 5 Summary

Calm efficiency pervades Emirates Team New Zealand at the moment as they quietly go about their sailing programme in Auckland shorn of razzmatazz but high on output with Te Rehutai simply looking better and better as the days go on. The recon unit even commented that the team seemed ‘mellow’ with everyone dialled into their jobs and roles – there’s no tall poppies, that’s the Kiwi way. And what this efficiency translates into is performance with their AC75 looking dynamite fast and leaving the following RIBs way in their wake and having to cut gybe corners to get close again. The area they call the ‘Back Paddock’ was the testing ground today and Tony Rae, the seven-time Cup specialist and veteran of the legendary 1995 ‘Black Magic’ team who is now the team’s highly respected Chase Boat driver saw it as another good day, saying: “It worked out really well. It was kind of what Ray (Davies) said the breeze was going to do. It took a little while to get going but we managed to sort of tow down the harbour and it ended up nothing. Then we got out to the Bean Rock area and off we went but yeah it was super flat water and it was strange patches because it took a while for that breeze to fill in down to the Back Paddock. We sort of followed it down as Pete (Burling) was saying on the radio you know just do a few gybes and just sort of inch our way down there towards Maraetai, set up a course and did a few laps and it all looked pretty good to me.” Section 41. Reconnaissance a) As a campaign cost reduction measure, COR/D has mutually agreed to cooperatively implement a centralised reconnaissance programme for all teams for the reconnaissance of all Competitors’ AC75 Yachts, AC40 Yachts and LEQ12 yachts including both on-land and on-water imagery (the “Joint Recon Programme”). b) Each team is assigned a two-person Recon Unit to follow their every on-water move, but it's not that simple. The cameras are supplied and identical for all Recon Units. Drones are not allowed, and they can't get that close, plus following a boat and keeping a camera steady at 45 knots isn't that easy to begin with. c) A three minute interview follows each on water day, and teams must answer the Recon Unit's questions while trying not to give too much away. It's a raw, unedited view of the never before seen behind-the-scenes development of a team and their boat to win the oldest trophy in international sports. #AC37Recon #AmericasCup #Barcelona2024