36th America's Cup: Born on the computer: 100,000 hours of work for the "dolphin"

The America's Cup defenders have presented the first new AC75 yacht to the public in Auckland. It was christened "Te Aihe" (dolphin). The boat, painted in the typical team colours of red, grey and black, is 23 metres long. Its mast reaches a height of 26.5 metres above deck. Eleven crew members are to sail on it. The projectile, which fans have already compared to a narwhal, weighs 6.5 tonnes. The span of the foils is four metres. Sixty-five people were involved in the creation of what is probably the most modern regatta yacht in the world that evening: 30 designers and 35 boat builders. Together, they have put more than 100,000 hours of work into the sailing pride of the New Zealanders. Unlike challengers such as the US American Team American Magic or Sir Ben Ainslie's British Ineos Team UK, the Kiwis have developed their first of two planned boats without a miniature model in real use on the water, but exclusively on the computer. The first model will now be used for real-life testing and to lay the foundations for the construction of the successor, on which helmsman Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand intend to defend the America's Cup, which they have already won three times, from 6 to 21 March 2021.

The official launch of the boat was celebrated by the sailors, their families, sponsors and supporters in Auckland in the early morning local time. The yacht was christened by Marcus Gerbich, a member of the MND Foundation. The prototype was blessed by Ngati Whatua. Kevin Shoebridge, Chief Operations Officer of the New Zealand racing team, said: "This is a significant event for the team. Not just because it's another new boat, but mainly because after winning the America's Cup in 2017, we had to come up with a new boat concept very quickly that really pushes the boundaries for innovation and technology in the America's Cup. We have published the concept within a relatively short timeframe since November 2017. To see it in the flesh today is an impressive testament to the team who were willing to push things forward from concept to design to fit-out." The Kiwis accomplished the feat in their self-built shipyard with 42 employees.

Dan Bernasconi, Head of Design at Emirates Team New Zealand, who had previously played a key role in the creation of the new AC75 class rules, was one of the key thinkers and drivers in this process. Bernasconi says: "The design and build of the AC75 incorporates a wide variety of innovations - more than we experienced with the AC50s in Bermuda." Bernasconi spoke of a "completely new concept" that presented "many challenges". He also pointed out that his team does not have much time left to finalise the design for the second boat, which they want to sail in the 36th America's Cup duel in 2021.

The maiden voyage will therefore be the first sailing experience for the team that New Zealand's sailors have had together since winning the Cup on 26 June 2017. "It won't be without nerves," said Cup winner Glenn Ashby, "but I'm sure all the other teams will feel the same." Ashby also commented on the new challenges posed by these foiling monohulls: "They will be difficult to tame, but our understanding from the simulations is that they are inherently safer boats than the ones we have sailed in the past two Cup events." The first regatta test with the new boats of all teams is scheduled for April with the America's Cup World Series off Sardinia. The New Zealanders want to make the most of the advantage of being able to use the upcoming Cup area as a home territory for training over the coming months, as the summer is only just beginning for them. Emirates Team New Zealand's CEO Grant Dalton thanked every single team member, but also emphasised that this day was just the beginning of a long journey that will continue to challenge everyone.