Chasing the breeze was the name of the game for Emirates Team New Zealand as they logged another day aboard their AC75 back home in New Zealand, working through a wide swing of conditions from a light 7 knots up to a punchy 15. For a squad that hadn’t had the boat out on the water for a stretch, it was exactly the kind of session that keeps the development wheels turning even when the bigger program milestones sit further down the calendar.
The team’s own recon footage, posted to the official America’s Cup channel, captures the flavour of the day better than any transcript can — you can watch the Recon: Chasing The Breeze video here to see the crew hunting around the racecourse for pressure and making the calls on where to point the bow next. It’s unglamorous, incremental work, but it’s the kind of accumulated knowledge that separates a fast boat from a fast program.
Chasing The Breeze With an Eye on Naples
What stood out from the crew’s own debrief was less about boat speed and more about range. They’re keen to stress that Naples will demand comfort across the whole spectrum — from the sea-breeze lulls to the heavier stuff — and that chasing the breeze in patchy Kiwi conditions is partly a rehearsal for exactly that variability. It’s a theme that echoes the team’s broader approach to reading a new venue, something Clear Air covered when we looked at ETNZ’s efforts reading Naples’ racetrack before heading home to their Taihoro base.
Rivals in the Frame
The Kiwis also cast an eye across the fleet, noting Luna Rossa’s high volume of sailing days and the aggressive way the Italian team has been pushing their boat — a program Clear Air has tracked closely in our piece on Luna Rossa’s pre-start drills in Cagliari. Meanwhile, the French syndicate has been notably quieter since a recent capsize, with Emirates Team New Zealand hoping to see them back on the water soon. For now, it’s another data point banked, another day spent chasing the breeze, and another step toward Naples in 2027.
Video courtesy of Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Naples, Italy — watch the full video on YouTube.
