The KZ 7, also known as the "Kiwi Magic", is one of the legendary twelve-wheelers that made Cup history. In defence of Fremantle in 1987, the New Zealanders entered an America's Cup challenge with this boat for the first time because the Australian territory was practically around the corner. To demonstrate their technological capabilities, they built the boat in fibreglass, while the competition was sailing with aluminium hulls.
In three challenger rounds, "Kiwi Magic" with young Chris Dickson at the helm lost only once, then won their semi-final 4:0. In the final of the challengers alone it was not enough, "Stars & Stripes" with Dennis Conner, the only boat to beat "Kiwi Magic" once in the round robins, won 4:1, had a slight advantage in the wind in the rough conditions with steep waves.
However, the "Kiwi Magic" continued to be sailed, winning the North American twelve-boat championship under Bill Koch in 2009 and Dennis Conner in 2012. Most recently, the boat was owned by the US Merchant Marine Academy's Sailing Foundation, which wanted to train sailing cadets on it, but found the boat too technically demanding.
It was up for sale for around 300,000 euros, and Danish investor Johan Blach Petersen, 64, jumped at the opportunity. A passionate sailor himself and involved in setting up the Danish Match Centre in Aarhus in the 1980s, Petersen now wants to sail the KZ 7 on the Baltic Sea. "If you are as enthusiastic about sailing as I am and have followed the history, it is an honour to be able to sail such a yacht," Petersen told YACHT online.
The "Kiwi Magic" arrived by container in excellent condition, which was also packed full of sails and material. Over the next few weeks, the twelve-person boat will undergo a technical overhaul at Robbe & Berking in Flensburg, including a small built-in diesel engine. "Without an engine, it would be too much of a risk in the narrow harbours and waters of the Baltic Sea," says Petersen.
Training off Aarhus is scheduled to begin at the end of June, and the first major event will be the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup on the Flensburg Fjord at the beginning of September. The KZ 7, the most modern twelve-oared boat in Europe, should sail unrivalled in the field of classic wooden twelve-oared boats.
