America’s Cup: Recon – March 27, 2026 – Kiwis chase the breeze
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 27 Mar 06:25 PDT
28 March 2026
Emirates Team New Zealand – AC75, Day 7 – March 27, 2026 © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com/nz
After two days of fresh onshore winds and gales, Friday dawned with blue skies, little wind, and a remaining seastate. The Kiwis docked out at noon for what was to be a long chase around the Hauraki Gulf in search of wind.
We caught up with them sailing in the Rangitoto Channel in what felt like a bottom-end northerly breeze – more than enough to self-launch, however the problem was with dead spots. The ones we could see were caused by the wind splitting around Rangitoto Island, and between the Channel and their favorite training ground, the Paddock – also sheltered to some extent by Waiheke Island, there was a “No-Mans Land” of calm water.
The Kiwis looked quite good foiling down the edge of Rangitoto, but soon ran out of gas, as they got into the lee of the island.
They had to be towed across the windless hole to reach the Motuihe Channel, where there was a good unobstructed breeze, and did multiple windward leewards, before reaching back to the Rangitoto Channel (without a tow), and finished around 6.00pm with another windward leeward.
More when the Recon Unit report and video arrive.
