Oracle Team USA’s preparations for the 35th America’s Cup have gathered further momentum with the launching of a second foiling AC45 catamaran.

The launch, which took place at Royal Naval Dockyard on Thursday, had been planned for earlier in the week, but was delayed by Hurricane Joaquin.

After a morning boat-christening ceremony, the team spent hours assessing systems and commissioning its second training boat in the Great Sound which will host all America’s Cup racing in 2017.

Oracle launched their first AC45 test boat in May and now plan to begin two-boat testing as soon as commissioning of their second boat is completed.

“This is the next milestone in the campaign, launching our second prototype boat,” Jimmy Spithill, the Oracle skipper, said. “It’s been a massive effort for the shore, design and engineering departments.

“We had to get through a hurricane, but now we’re in a position to get out there, test the boat, and hopefully in the next few days we can get two boats out to start the next phase of our development programme.

“It’s so difficult to get answers and results from testing just one boat.

“For us, we need two boats — first to progress all of our design tools and get the technical answers; secondly, we won’t be racing in the challenger play-offs. We need to have a second boat to be able to practice racing and push, and that’s what this new boat allows.”

Meanwhile, Land Rover BAR have also launched their new test boat, dubbed “T2” from their home base in Portsmouth.

The new boat is being hailed as “a big step forward for the team” and brings them into line with Artemis and Oracle Team USA.

While T2 is around the same length as the previous boats, she is wider and significantly more powerful.

However, the most obvious difference, from the outside at least, is that she has a cockpit for the crew and wheel steering for the helmsmen.

Andy Claughton, Land Rover BAR’s chief technology officer and a two time America’s Cup winner, calls it “the most technologically advanced sailing boat I’ve ever been involved with.

“It’s the vital next step on our path to developing the boat that will challenge for the America’s Cup, containing some of the most innovative and powerful technology ever used in this competition.”