ETNZ AC75 returns home as Auckland becomes the centre of the sailing world

It's all happening in New Zealand right now. As SailGP descends on Auckland for round two of the 2026 Season, Emirates Team New Zealand has been quietly transporting its upgraded AC75 under cover of darkness.

Taihoro made a stealthy midnight crossing of the Harbour Bridge from ETNZ's North Shore build facility, arriving at the Wynyard Quarter base before dawn. After months of intensive refitting to meet the AC38 class rules, the 37th America's Cup winner is back, apparently ‘leaner, sharper, and looking just like new’. Almost ready for a new campaign.

The most obvious change: a cockpit reconfigured for five sailors instead of eight, with batteries now replacing the cyclors who used to power the hydraulics. There's also a new 'Guest Racer Pod' – a dedicated seat where a lucky (or foolhardy) guest can strap in and experience the G-forces of foiling at 50+ knots.

Boat captain Spencer Loxton was there at 4am to receive the boat. “Taihoro looks great. She makes the AC40s look like a couple of dinghies in the shed now,” he said.

It's been almost a month since AC75s were officially cleared to sail under the new protocol, with modified boats permitted back on the water from 16 January onwards. None of the five teams has launched yet, but ETNZ should be among the first to break the silence.

“This America's Cup is coming around a whole lot quicker this time without having to build a new boat,” Loxton added. “Before we know it, we're going to be sailing Taihoro in Auckland again, then into the Preliminary Regatta in Sardinia in May 2026, and then we're not actually far away from the actual America's Cup in Naples in 2027.”

As Andy Rice points out, the Defenders have been clocking some serious hours on their AC40s around Auckland lately, and several of the core crew are pulling double duty with Artemis SailGP. Nathan Outteridge, Chris Draper and Andy Maloney have getting in some foiling practice together off the Hauraki Gulf, as well as Waitematā Harbour – which, conveniently, is the venue of this weekend's SailGP event. Useful prep before they jump aboard the Swedish F50 on Friday.