KZ1 (yacht)
KZ 1 was a one off sailing yacht used to challenge for the 1988 America's Cup. She was designed by Bruce Farr and is constructed from a carbon fibre and Kevlar/Nomex sandwich, skippered by David Barnes and manned by a crew of 40 from the Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga, New Zealand.
 KZ1 outside the Maritime Museum in Auckland | |
| Yacht club | Mercury Bay Boating Club |
|---|---|
| Nation |  |
| Designer(s) | Bruce Farr |
| Owner(s) | Sir Michael Fay |
| Racing career | |
| Skippers | David Barnes |
| America's Cup | 1988 |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 39 tons |
| Length | 36.57 m (120.0 ft) (LOA) 27.43 m (90.0 ft) (LWL) |
| Beam | 8.07 m (26.5 ft) |
| Draft | 6.40 m (21.0 ft) |
| Sail area | 627 m2 (6,750 sq ft) (upwind) 1,600 m2 (17,000 sq ft) (downwind) |
She was given the nicknames of the Big Boat or Big Beauty by financial backer, Sir Michael Fay.
The unconventional challenge of Michael Fay and KZ 1 prompted American syndicate head Dennis Conner to respond with an unconventional defense. Lacking time and looking to protect the planned international event in 1992, the defenders built Stars & Stripes (US 1), a catamaran that Conner sailed to win the challenge, though most of the battle was fought in court.
KZ 1 is now on display near the New Zealand Maritime Museum in downtown Auckland.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to KZ1 (ship, 1988). |