Team NZ? They're "goin' OK" for the Americas Cup.
![](https://www.seabreeze.com.au/img/Content/11217251/Team-NZ-Theyre-goin-OK-for-the-Americas-Cup-1.jpg)
Considered the holy grail of sailing right now, the foiling tack is a seemingly simple maneuver that's proving difficult for even the best Moths and kite foilers. What it is, is a tack, where the hull doesn't touch the water. Advantageous for the simple fact that as soon as the hulls DO touch the water, it's game over in terms of boat speed. The crew needs to bear off the wind to gain speed, get back on the foils and accelerate again. By that time it's over - the other boat has left them behind, and after 10, 15 tacks in a race, by the time the losing boat finishes the race, the winners are already drinking rum from the Americas Cup on the dock.
While that probably won't happen, and we certainly won't be getting a public holiday next year (mostly because Australia isn't in the cup, and our Prime Minsters have never been as cool as Bob Hawke was in 1983), it's fun to think about.
Fun to watch, is the sneaky little clip that's tucked away at the end of Team New Zealand's latest video, showing them tacking their new AC at speeds well over 20 knots. They don't even sink a meter on the foils, and if you don't watch closely you might be forgiven for thinking it's a gybe. The future of sailing is here - where hulls are optional…