AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The oblong object, 75 feet long with a pointed nose, looks more like a downed spacecraft than a sleek racing yacht.
Hoisted in the air and surrounded by scaffolding, the object’s two appendages stick out and run down its sides like the long, slender legs of a praying mantis. But this is not a spaceship, or even an oversize insect: It is Patriot, the yacht of a team, American Magic, that hopes to reclaim the America’s Cup, sailing’s most prestigious trophy, for the United States.
And Patriot has a big problem.