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Teams race to copy 'Kiwi clip-on'
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The three remaining syndicates in the America's Cup challenger series are working against the clock to copy a radical design feature developed by Team New Zealand. The so-called "Kiwi Clip-on", is a false hull, fitted as an appendage at the stern of Team New Zealand's second yacht NZL 82, which increases its length and, in theory, its speed. Team New Zealand had managed to keep the idea secret for over a month by towing their boats out to sea with a full skirt hiding the hull and sailing as far away from the other teams as possible. The team was hoping to keep the idea secret until the common unveiling ceremony on January 7, when Team New Zealand and the two Louis Vuitton Cup finalists have to drop their skirts and reveal all. By this time it would be too late for anybody to effectively copy the idea. "We would've hoped that nobody would figure out our boats until after the Cup. The reality is that people may well have learned or deduced what we were doing a lot earlier. That's inevitable," said Team New Zealand chief Tom Schnackenberg. News of the appendage leaked out in Auckland on Monday when Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts, following a 4-0 win over Oracle BMW Racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals, revealed that his team had been developing some form of underwater device for weeks. It appears that Team New Zealand has exploited a loophole in the America's Cup Class rule by attaching an appendage. Only a few designers, team members and the measurers know what the appendage looks like, but speculation is rife on just what the Kiwis have developed. Team New Zealand have reportedly written to Alinghi alleging that the Swiss team has breached the surveillance regulations of the Cup that prevent rival teams deliberately filming or photographing within 200 metres during sailing trials. Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts has denied copying Team New Zealand's design, saying that the Swiss syndicate was reviving a design concept initially considered over a year ago. Alinghi now have three weeks to test the concept before the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup final on January 11. "It's been a bit of a rush for us to design it and get it through our testing processes," said Coutts. "Certainly the design we've got we think has got potential and we're out there testing it now." The Seattle based OneWorld said on Wednesday that it had researched the false hull, described by some as the biggest breakthrough in America's Cup design since the wing keel of Australia II in 1983 and by others as a blatant rule cheater, but were "not convinced of its effectiveness." Oracle will race OneWorld in a best-of-seven semifinal repechage, beginning Friday. The winner will face Alinghi in the final.
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