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GBR to fly second boat to NZ

The second boat will be flown to NZ in early August

LONDON, England -- America's Cup British challenger GBR is to fly a second boat from England to New Zealand, having earlier planned to race only one boat.

GBR 77, or Wight Lightning, was shipped to New Zealand in May and has been sailed on Hauraki Gulf for the first time this week.

Peter Harrison, chairman and founder of GBR, said GBR 78, the team's second America's Cup Class boat, will be flown south in time for the start of the Louis Vuitton Challenger series on October 1.

"Flying will give us a gain of some five weeks versus shipping, and is the only way to get GBR 78 there in time for the sailing team to practice on two new generation boats and tune up the second boat prior to the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup," Harrison said.

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GBR 78 will be finished by the end of July. It is due to leave Cowes on August 3 on a barge and will be loaded onto a plane to Auckland two days later.

It is thought that some changes have been made to the hull shape, allowing the team to try out some new ideas.

More importantly, the second new boat is an insurance policy in case of catastrophic structural failure or major damage in a collision during the early round robins.

"The designers and builders have done a great job completing GBR 78 so quickly and it will be a great boost to the team to have her out here for the start of racing," skipper Ian Walker said.

Originally the syndicate, with a relatively small budget of $30 million compared to other challengers, planned to build and campaign only one boat in New Zealand.

In order to keep costs down each syndicate is allowed to build a maximum of two new boats in each Cup cycle.

The syndicate had initially planned to keep the second boat in the UK for training in preparation for the 2006 America's Cup.

As flying represents an extra cost of over $500,000 onto what is already a stretched budget, Harrison is seeking corporate sponsorship to help cover the extra costs.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals or companies to support a supremely organised and talented British team at the America's Cup. Supporters will gain branding on the hull of the boat on her epic journey, and at the GBR Challenge base."