Sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are pleased with how Team New Zealand is building towards the 2021 America's Cup, even though there have been some minor setbacks.
Last week, Team New Zealand released vision of their AC75 boat Te Aihe gliding across the Hauraki Gulf.
There were also images showing the foiling monohull taking a nosedive into the water. Although nosediving is not uncommon, the images showing the incident were spectacular.
"That was human error. It is one of those things," Tuke told The AM Show. "We're pushing the boats hard, and sometimes you don't quite get it right.
"If you're pushing technology, you're going to get unstuck sometimes. And if you're not pushing, you're probably not learning as much."
Burling added that the team is enjoying their time out on the water, and seeing what the other teams' boats are doing.
"It is exciting times for the team," he said. "We have three incredible challenges. Everyone is out testing their first boat at the moment. It's exciting to see how other teams are working on their concepts.
"We're enjoying sailing the boat, but we're also enjoying watching the other teams push their boats to the limit."
Even though Burling and Tuke have been putting in the hard yards with Team New Zealand, they are just as excited for the upcoming 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 world championships, which will start later this month in Auckland.
Tuke described it as the biggest 49er event the pair have ever done in New Zealand.
Burling and Tuke also discussed their new charity called Live Ocean. Live Ocean's vision is for New Zealand to be a world-leading champion in ocean health.
"We're passionate about the ocean, and after sailing around the world, we feel things are changing quick, and we have a blindspot to what is actually going on," said Burling.
"For the last year, we've been trying to figure out how we can play our part.
"We enjoy getting out in the ocean, and there is a decline in the life out there, and we feel as a nation, we need to do more."
Newshub.
