Botadura del Camper ETNZ
Megan Reeves, partner of skipper Chris Nicholson, pours champagne over the bow.
CAMPER, the yacht Emirates Team New Zealand will campaign in the Volvo Race, was launched at the team’s Viaduct Harbour, Auckland, base late this afternoon. Tomorrow, after the yacht’s hydraulic systems, which operate the canting keel, are tested the mast will be stepped and the yacht prepared for its maiden sail later in the week. The yacht was trucked to the team’s base before dawn only on Sunday. For the rest of this week, shore and sailing crews will test yacht systems before the build phase of the CAMPER campaign is over and sea trials start. After a week trialling off Auckland, the yacht leaves for a voyage down the east coast of New Zealand calling at five ports – Tauranga, Gisborne, Wellington, Dunedin and Lyttelton.