Emirates Team New Zealand lead Luna Rossa upwind, in the 2021 America’s Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand has been a key player in the America’s Cup for many years and is the current holder of the Cup, having won it in Bermuda in 2017 and successfully defended in 2021.

Team name: Emirates Team New Zealand
Yacht club: Royal Auckland Yacht Club
Skipper: Glenn Ahsby (AUS)

Emirates Team New Zealand has a long history with the AC and their latest successful America’s Cup defence in March 2021 was their fourth America’s Cup victory; two as Defender two as a challenger. 

New Zealand is only the second nation to successfully challenge and defend the America’s Cup twice.

The personnel may have changed over the years, but the Emirates Team New Zealand that won the America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021 is very much a continuation of the Team New Zealand who first won the cup back in 1995.

One of the key strengths of the Kiwi team has long been their design prowess. They are known for having very advanced computer simulation tools and manage to incorporate their sailors into the design process effectively. 

It was Team New Zealand who introduced foiling to the America’s Cup, finding a loophole in the 2013 America’s Cup rule which allowed them to foil on their 72ft catamaran. 

However, once their ability to foil was found out by other teams, they were outspent and outdeveloped and lost one of the most exciting America’s Cups in history to Oracle Team USA. 

For the 2017 event they would not make the same event, developing a super-quick AC50 catamaran, which included many developments including the now famous cyclors (pedal powered grinders). They launched that boat much too late for any other team to copy and won the 2017 America’s Cup by a landslide. 

Having introduced the AC75 foiling monohull for the 2021 America’s Cup (alongside their then challenger of record Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli), Emirates Team New Zealand once again produced a super-fast boat, which helped them to their successful America’s Cup defence in 2021.