Kiwi sailors dominate in Valencia
09 Feb 2010
Europe may be the setting for the 33rd America’s Cup currently underway in Valencia but New Zealand will be deep in the heart of the action - both on and off the water.
Kiwi sailors and yachting expertise feature in every aspect of the much-awaited dual between Swiss defenders Alinghi and USA’s BMW Oracle - even the regatta director and principal race officer is a New Zealander.
Behind the warring billionaires Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli, are Kiwi sailing heavy weights Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth who each lead crews dominated by New Zealand yachtsmen.
And on shore there’s also strong Kiwi representation in the technical teams, support crews and media personnel covering the world event.
Two-year battle
It has been two years of legal wrangle to get to the start of what will be a best-of-three race contest between state-of-the-art multi-hulls built specifically for the America’s Cup event.
Sailing with Alinghi tactician and team skipper Brad Butterworth on the Swiss boat are seven Kiwis including fellow technician Peter Evans, mainsail trimmer Warwick Fleury and strategist Murray Jones.
Tom Schnackenberg, formerly of Team New Zealand is part of the Alinghi design team, Jon Bilger is with the weather team and nine of the shore crew are also Kiwis.
On BMW Oracle with CEO Russell Coutts, who has won the America’s Cup as a skipper three times, are also seven New Zealand sailors including two trimmers, two on foredeck and three grinders. The team’s sailing support crew also has two Kiwi members.
Feeling the heat
New Zealand sailor and Oracle bowman Brad Webb admits the team members are feeling the heat with a lot of pre-race nerves.
"In the past, the America's Cup has been best-of-nine and this is best-of-three, so there aren't a lot of chances to get it right," said Webb.
"There's going to be a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves, and we know we have a lot of people behind us who are looking forward to this day, so that's going to be the big thing, the pressure and trying to use that to prepare yourself.
"Everything that you've learned, everything that you've practised, everything that you've thought about coming up to this moment is going to come to a head, and you just have to go out and race."
Unknown quantity
Webb's team mate and fellow Kiwi Ross Halcrow said the fact that both boats were such vastly unknown quantities added a further element of excitement to the event.
"That's going to be the beauty of this America's Cup. We have some kind of an idea as to how fast they are, and they have an idea as to how fast we are, but until the start gun goes and we line up for the first time and get going, we're not really going to know.
"It's going to be pretty exciting," said Halcrow, a trimmer aboard USA 17.
Harold Bennett
The regatta director and principal race officer is New Zealander Harold Bennett who has been involved in yachting administration, coaching and race management for more than 35 years.
Bennett was in charge of the second race area during the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series and was the principal race officer in Auckland for the 30th and 31st America's Cup matches.
As well as being the national youth coach in New Zealand, Bennett has also coached sailors at six Olympic Games, from Los Angeles in 1984 to Athens in 2004.
He says the 33rd America’s Cup will present some challenges - not only the winter weather conditions, but also for umpires with the speed of the two craft.
The large dimensions of the course and protecting the race area were also a consideration but Bennett says like any other regatta it’s a case of preparing well and having good people around you to work through the issues.
More information:
New Zealand - a sailing nation
Auckland to host three week sailing festival
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