Auckland's Viaduct Harbour showcased a glimpse into the future of the America's Cup with the debut of the wing-sailed AC45 catamaran. The forerunner to the next generation of America's Cup boats, the AC45 made its maiden voyage, the first of many sea trials planned over the coming weeks.

The AC45 will be the centrepiece of the 2011-12 America's Cup World Series, which will start mid-2011. The high-tech carbon fibre catamaran is the first in a fleet of the new 45-foot one-designs that will be tested by America's Cup teams before racing on the America's Cup World Series circuit.

The AC45 is an essential element of the vision for the 34th America's Cup, which will feature 72-foot catamarans raced on San Francisco Bay in 2013. Focused on creating more on-the-water excitement for both the teams and the fans, the AC45 is designed for both speed and close racing. While capable of closing speeds of up to 30 knots, the AC45 was designed to remain nimble enough to handle the tight race courses planned by America's Cup Race Management (ACRM).

The hulls are built in carbon epoxy with honeycomb cores, making them extremely stiff and light structures. The sandwich construction involves two carbon skins less than 1mm thick laminated over an ultra-light honeycomb core.

"We plan to run tight race courses that will force boats to engage with each other, creating really close racing situations. Multihulls are very fast boats and will therefore reach the course boundaries sooner, so races will become a true test of skill and strategy, not just speed," said Iain Murray, CEO, America's Cup Race Management and Regatta Director. "The AC45 will fast-track teams to state-of-the-art wingsail technology and crew technique in the first season, and will greatly prepare them for the AC72."

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Here's what was heard from around harbour: 

Harold Bennett (PRO 33rd AC)

“It’s an awesome looking boat.  I saw it sailing, flying a hull almost immediately and it was pretty impressive. It will be great to see more of them trialling together soon; I reckon the future of the America’s Cup is looking good.”

Peter Lester (Americas’ Cup veteran and sailing TV commentator)
“It’s great to see  the first one and it’ll be fantastic when we get a few of them sailing out on the harbour. What also really impresses me is the way the team behind it have really thought about the detailing – and getting it in and out of water efficiently.

Andy Hindley (America's Cup Race Management, COO)
"It was an unbelievable first sail. We were in 8-10 knots of breeze and we were sailing at more than double that speed…up to about 20 knots at one point.With a bit more breeze we could be going 28-30knots.

"We were only sailing for a couple of minutes and flying the hull.  It’s a great start.  There’s a bit of work to do onshore now, but then we will get it back onto the water and sail it as often as we can."

Jimmy Spithill (AC45 Test Skipper and ORACLE RACING Skipper)
"It’s fantastic ...everyone at the dock is smiling. It’s an awesome tool and it’ll be a lot of fun.

"The wing’s big and the boat powers up quickly and is easy to sail and maneuverability is not a problem.  Straight off the bat we were talking about going racing and how good it is going to be.

"We’ll have no problem having close racing.  We were doing 20 knots at times.

"The wing sail is so much quicker to unload (depower) than a main – with the wing its instant. Teams will get up to speed quickly with these boats and they should be really happy with them.

"They are pushing the boundaries and there is a bit of risk in there and that’s what you need in the America’s Cup. I can’t wait to get back out on the water again in this boat.

"From a boat off a piece of paper to its first sail, it’s the most impressive I’ve ever seen. Within minutes we were flying a hull and fully loaded. We have the latest technology here with the wing and that’s what the America’s Cup is all about.”

Specifications:

LOA: 44.13' (13.45m)
BEAM:22.6' (6.9m)
DSPL:1,400 kg
Mast Height:70.5' (21.5m)
Sail Area:1430 sq' (133 sqm) (up w/main & gennaker), 2,259 sq' 210 (sqm) (dwn w/main & reacher)

Photo by Chris Cameron, www.chriscameron.co.nz.  www.americascup.com