One of my 100 things to do before you die was to sail on an America’s Cup sailboat. This desire came about in the 70’s when we got a chance to race against Weatherly in a Hat Island race set up by the Corinthian Yacht Club in Seattle. Weatherly was on her way back while we were still trying to reach the island.
My fantasy came about this spring in our trip to the North Island of New Zealand where for a mere $105 you can get a two hour sailing experience on the NZL 40 or 41. Twice a week they hold match races for about three hours. The other days are dedicated to the two hour sailing sessions in Auckland Bay.
Photos of the boat sailing: 1 : 2
NZL 40 was originally built for the 1995 America’s Cup, but it was not finished on time and only served as a trial boat for 2000. NZL 41 also was built for 1995 and was loaned to the Japanese team to race in the Louis Vuitton semi-finals. After the 2000 trials both boats were fitted with engines and a small railing for tourist safety and easy exit and entry from the Viaduct Harbor.
Photos of the boat at the dock: 1 : 2
Our time in Auckland “City of Sails” was limited to four days and we could not fit the match race schedule in our stay. So we settled for the two hour sailing experience on a rainy and windy “perfect Northwest” sailing day. Gusts up to 25 Knots and a few rain squalls, with some sunshine thrown in for good measure.
The skipper, a blond young lady, about five feet tall, decided that for the tourists sake the main will be reefed in some eight feet and the helm will be limited to her and one other of her crew. The grinders were open to anyone who wanted to get some exercise, yours truly included, the sails went up and off we went. As by some magic the rain stopped and we were sailing between 10 to 12 Knots going windward. A tangled sheet at the top of the mast treated us to a mast climbing demonstration by the smallest crew member.
As we changed course on a reach, the speed increased to 16 Knots water started to splash over the edge and the grins of the crew and tourists increased by another 50%. At this speed the boat picked up a harmonic vibration leaving you with a feeling that you also were a part of this well tuned huge wind loving machine. A few more tacks and a double pass under a freeway bridge, where the mast cleared the structure by only a couple of feet, we were back in the harbor area and headed back to the dock without even getting wet.
These two hours were probably the two shortest hours in my life, and ended with the desire to get home to Westbay Marina and my own boat.
Andris Kleinbergs, Star 4078