Like an America's Cupper, the approximately 20 metre long boat is equipped with two swivelling, curved T-foils that carry ballast and lift the boat out of the water at a certain speed thanks to the profiled shape of the transverse fins. The windward arm is lifted out of the water to reduce drag and at the same time generate more righting momentum. New on the "Flying Nikka": there is also a rigid fin keel with a bomb for even more stability. The rudder, in turn, is equipped with a transverse fin, a so-called elevator, which is used to control the flight altitude.
The boat was built in just eight months at King Marine in Valencia. The project is backed by Italian businessman Alberto Lacorte, who will be steering it himself. Unlike an America's Cupper, "Flying Nikka" is not only intended for the short course. It should also excel on long distances and break international records. The team is talking about speeds of over 40 knots being possible.
"Flying Nikka" is 18.70 metres long, the hull is 5.17 metres wide and the keel is 4.30 metres deep when the boat is not flying. The sandwich construction made of carbon prepreg, Nomex and foam weighs just 7.225 tonnes in total. With a sail area of 220 square metres, this means a sail carrying capacity of 7.7! Normally, a value of 5 or more is considered to be a ratio between sail area and weight, which is a good indicator of a racer.
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Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Chief Editor YACHT
