America's Cup Recon Diary: March 19 - Kiwis chase the breeze. France has a first sail.
by Richard Gladwell, ETNZ Recon and Luna Rossa 20 Mar 11:38 GMT
20 March 2026
Flying high - Emirates Team New Zealand, Taihoro, AC75, Day 3 - March 19, 2026 © Sam Thom / America's Cup
In Brittany, France, the French America's Cup team, La Roche-Posay Racing Team, sailed their AC40 out of Lorient, Brittany. The team did not self-report on the sail. AC.com reports they sailed for 4.5 hours in an easterly breeze.
Four of the five teams entered in the 2027 America's Cup have now sailed. However, three of these are sailing AC40s. Emirates Team NZ has sailed both their AC40s, and their repurposed AC75.
Emirates Team New Zealand had their third sailing day, of the 45 days permitted, in their AC75 on Thursday. They started slightly earlier than usual, towing out to hoist their mainsail and jib in the Rangitoto Channel, before setting off on an extended tour of the Hauraki Gulf, getting a mix of light air foiling challenges.
In the highlights video, the ETNZ AC75 sailing downwind, with pronounced windward heel, is well captured.
Emirates Team NZ report from the ACP Recon Unit assigned to ETNZ.
Activities timeline:
At 10:28hrs, the mainsail was on lock, and the jib was hoisted at 10:36hrs. ETNZ began sailing at 10:38hrs.
After an initial period of sailing, ETNZ stopped at 11:17hrs to carry out adjustments to the jib clew and a check of the mainsail traveller system.
They then carried out a series of bear-away practice runs past Browns Island, followed by a long downwind leg towards Tiritiri Matangi and returning upwind towards Rakino. During this phase, a couple of bow-up / stern-squat moments were observed on the downwind. The boat was sailed in a windward heel configuration downwind, combined with a relatively twisted sail setup.
During the session, work was carried out on the jib tack area, a halyard mouse line was installed, and a jib lock issue was identified. By 11:53hrs the wind had decreased to approximately 6 knots.
At 12:05hrs the jib was lowered and a sail change was carried out, with the J3-2 removed and the J2-2 hoisted. ETNZ resumed sailing at 12:19hrs in approximately 8 knots SSE.
They sailed for approximately 40 minutes, executing one tack and one gybe, before stopping again at 13:00hrs. During this time, grey bags were brought onboard (possible battery swap).
A guest disembarked, and a white briefcase-sized unit was brought onboard, with crew spending time working below deck, likely on onboard systems. At 13:27hrs, the boat was taken on tow again.
The wind continued to decrease to approximately 4 knots. ETNZ was towed towards the Maraetai area and attempted to resume sailing, however conditions were too light to continue. The boat remained on tow and returned to the crane, ending the session at 15:18hrs.
Overall, the session appeared to focus on light-wind mode testing and system setup. One of the most notable elements was the downwind configuration, in which the boat was sailed with windward heel and a relatively twisted sail setup, in contrast to a flatter, lower-cant configuration. ETNZ appeared to be switching between these modes, likely exploring performance and control in marginal foiling conditions.
The bow-up / stern-squat moments observed downwind suggest the boat was operating close to its low-speed flight threshold, with ongoing refinement of longitudinal trim and control. Throughout the day, there was a strong focus on sail setup and systems calibration, particularly around the jib, as well as internal systems work during stops.
Crew onboard:
- Starboard helm: Nathan Outteridge
- Port helm: Seb Menzies
- Trimmer: Andy Maloney
- Trimmer: Iain Jensen
- Starboard hull (behind helmsman): Jo Aleh
Additional Images: