Can kiwis fly?: computing in New Zealand

H did the America’s Cup come to be won, and won so convincingly, by Team New Zealand in 1995? The event requires a combination of the best yachting technology and sailing skills in the world. For a remote country of 3.5 million people to produce a winning team was a stunning achievement. Information technology (IT) played a significant role in that victory. Team New Zealand’s manager, Peter Blake, says the traditional reliance on wind tunnel and tank testing of hull and sail designs had been a big factor driving up the cost of a serious America’s Cup challenge “to astronomical figures.” However, Team New Zealand had used Silicon Graphics’ supercomputers and workstations to do exhaustive computer-based testing of various hull and keel shapes against simulated sea and wind conditions. Blake believes the extensive and innovative use of computer-aided design probably raised the competitiveness of the New Zealand challenge “by a factor of three”[1]. Not only were the boats designed using IT, but a New Zealand software company developed a graphics animation package used to provide analysis of the races for television. This innovative application of IT to yachting provides a clue to understanding the use of IT in Can Kiwis Fly? Computing in New Zealand