Cat Kicks Kiwis’ Boat in Practice

The New Zealand Challenge encountered a catamaran for the first time Saturday and, as the Kiwis predicted, the catamaran proved to be 20%-30% faster downwind, said David Barnes, skipper of New Zealand’s monohull entry for the America’s Cup.

New Zealand and the 35-foot Formula 500 cat, which the Kiwis acquired Thursday, sailed together 10-15 minutes upwind and about that long downwind.

Afterward, Barnes laughed as he caught himself “singing the same old tune.”

“I don’t know why Dennis (Conner) bothered with a special design and building program. If today was any indication, he could have picked up almost any good cat on the coast and saved himself a whole lot of time.”

The monohull was clocked marginally faster upwind than the catamaran, which is 25 feet shorter than each of the two American entries. Barnes and two of his crew said the outing did not discourage them.

“We do know the facts of life,” Barnes said. “Catamarans are faster downwind.”