The name of the defending ship was inspired by 'Taihoro-Nukurangi'; 'move quickly like the sea between heaven and earth'
BARCELONA, April 18. () –
Emirates Team New Zealand presented the 'Taihoro', the boat with which it will defend its title in the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona and which was baptized and presented in an emotional launching ceremony in Auckland (New Zealand), passed through water and in charge of the Iwi manaaki Ngati Whatua Orakei, who has blessed the name 'Taihoro'.
The launching ceremony took place at the New Zealand team's base at Wynyard Point in Auckland, and was attended by friends, family, sponsors and suppliers of the team, who did not want to miss the baptism of the 'Taihoro', a name inspired by ' Taihoro-Nukurangi', which means 'to move quickly like the sea between heaven and earth'.
So 'Taihoro' symbolizes the evolutionary journey of the ship. “She represents a transcendence of traditional borders, creating a connection between the sea and the sky. This boat is more than a simple vessel,” the team summarized in a statement. The 'Taihoro' was named after Helen Clark, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand and patron of Emirates Team New Zealand.
Emirates Team New Zealand's head of construction, Geoff Senior, oversaw the construction of the boat, which began more than 10 months ago at the Emirates Team New Zealand shipyard, with 45 builders working throughout the process, which has been a total of 85,000 hours of work.
“It has been a very technical boat for the construction team. The design team has pushed the Taihoro design to the limit, which has tested our construction team throughout the process. But we are very lucky to have a experienced construction team, which is one of the best in the industry,” said Senior.
The 'Taihoro' was transported weeks ago to the Emirates Team New Zealand base under the cover of darkness, and has since undergone an exhaustive conditioning process by the hydraulic, electronic and ground technical teams, which have adjusted thousands of components and systems, ready to be delivered to the racing team to begin commissioning and sea trials that have been carried out in Auckland Harbor over the past week.
“These moments are always a source of special pride for all team members,” said Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton, also the organizer of the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona 2024.
“Much of what the team does must be kept secret from friends and family for obvious reasons, and the work involves an enormous amount of dedication, commitment and time. So it's always special to share the result of that effort with them in our base of operations, naming and presenting the Taihoro in collaboration with Ngati Whatua Orakei, which has once again given our ship a very special and significant identity,” he added.
“This is the boat we will take to Barcelona to defend the America's Cup for New Zealand later this year and the name 'Taihoro' helps us bring our identity to Barcelona and share our country's innovation and culture on the world stage. “he concluded.
