A delegation from Emirates Team New Zealand are in Bermuda on a scouting mission.

Sailing team trio Glenn Ashby, Jeremy Lomas and Richard Meacham spent yesterday checking out the Great Sound, the sailing venue for all America’s Cup racing to be contested in larger 48-foot foiling catamarans in 2017.

Prior to their arrival on Island the trio were among several Team New Zealand sailors that took part in a testing session on-board the new AC45F catamaran in Portsmouth, England which is the home port of British challenger Ben Ainslie Racing.

“We are grateful to the guys at BAR for their hospitality and assistance over the past few days which allowed various sailing team representatives to be able to sail and learn about how we will need to prepare for the first event,” said helmsman Ashby, who is in a battle with rising star Peter Burling for duties on the wheel in the lead-up to 35th America’s Cup.

The AC45F is a natural progression of the conventional model used in the previous America’s Cup World Series which has since been converted to a fully foiling catamaran that will see action for the first time at July’s America’s Cup World Series curtain raiser in Portsmouth.

“The racing will be fantastic on these boats and having full foiling reaching starts to mark 1 and then downwind to the gate in a fleet environment will be extremely exciting,” said Ashby, who is a multiple world multihull champion Ashby.

“The boats are very challenging to sail and operating the dagger boards rake and up/down in the manoeuvres accurately around the course will be key to a good performance.”

The tests in the UK — involving all America’s Cup teams — was not the Kiwis’ first involvement in the AC45F as designers Neil Wilkinson and Chris Mellow played integral roles in the conversion to make the boats fly. Wilkinson led the design of the new foil control system while Mellow led the project management of the entire process.

“The new foiling version of the AC45 catamaran has brought the boats in line with current foiling technology,” said Ashby, who won the 33rd America’s Cup with challenger BMW Oracle Racing, forerunner of Oracle Team USA.

During the tests Cup teams were allowed time to study the new features, systems and deck layout which make the AC45F foil as part of preparation for the first America’s Cup World Series event in just over two months time.

Team New Zealand will take part in a training camp on their own AC45F next month.

The Kiwis’ build up to the next instalment of the “Auld Mug” has been anything but smooth sailing.

The team has been plagued with a string of setbacks lately, including the loss of considerable Government funding, the right to host the America’s Cup Qualifier and the controversial sacking of skipper Dean Barker, which led to speculation they may be forced to pull the plug on their bid to win the coveted “Auld Mug” in Bermuda.

However, confirmation that title sponsor Emirates Airlines will continue to back the team, the team’s preparations for July’s America’s Cup World Series event in the UK and ongoing scouting mission in Bermuda strongly suggests otherwise.

Team New Zealand came up short in their bid to reclaim the “Auld Mug” at the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco after squandering an 8-1 lead against defender Oracle Team USA who pulled off a stunning comeback from the brink of defeat to retain their title.