Legacy, KZ-5

HISTORY:

1986-1987: Sir Michael Fay put together the three leading New Zealand designers and a $15,000,000 budget to realize the first long-lasting challenge for the America’s Cup. KZ-5 was among the first twelves built of glass fibre composite. Nicknamed “plastic fantastics” these boats had the advantage of significantly stiffer hulls with no flexing especially in the mast region where the shrouds are attached. Special attention was devoted to the keel design for which exhaustive tests were conducted in wind tunnels. KZ-5 was the second of two trial horses for KZ-7 in view of the challenger trials. In 1986 she took second at the Twelve Metre World Championship.

1992-2011: Purchased by the Nippon Yacht Club and renamed Nippon, her sail number was changed to J-5 and her homeport was Tokyo (JPN) In 1993 she arrived in the US, purchased by Charles A. Robertson who renamed her Cannonball, gave her the sail number US-62 and kept her at Old Saybrook, CT.  She was altered at Pilot’s Point (Westbroook,CT). From 1995-1999 Paul Campbell (Boston, MA, New York, NY) owned her and named her Fury. From 2000-2011, she was owned and raced out of Newport, RI by Edgar Cato, who named her Hissar.

2011: KZ-5 was purchased by Francis (Kip) Curren and renamed Laura, who sails and racee her from Newport, RI.

2018: KZ-5 was donated to the United States Merchant Marine Academy Sailing Foundation.

2019: KZ-5 name changed again from Laura to Legacy

2019: Chartered by Thomas Andersen and Jesper Bank, Legacy (KZ-5) won the Grand Prix Division at the 2019 12mR World Championship in Newport, RI

Jump to Twelve Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station Fleet page for Legacy (KZ-5)

*Content courtesy: The Twelve Metre Class by Dyer Jones & Luigi Lang