A respected yachting commentator claims teams' preparation for the next America's Cup could be set back by up to three months due to technical difficulties, while a proposed second preliminary regatta could be scrapped altogether.
Peter Montgomery told Radio Sport the date syndicates will be allowed to launch the first boats on the water ahead of the 2021 event in Auckland will likely have to be pushed back by three months, after tests revealed that the foils featured on the radical monohull design couldn't cope under load.
“They've been doing load tests and they have been breaking and so there comes the issue,” Montgomery said. “Part of the agreement between the defender (Team New Zealand) and the challenger of record was to have certain components – and one of the components is the foils. They've been doing tests on them and several have been breaking, meaning they just cannot cope with the loads.
“The protocol was that you were not able to sail the new boats until the first of April next year … it will be delayed until June.”
Read the full story, including the effect this will have on World Series events, at the Herald.
