The America’s Cup World Series will feature 10 boats. That’s the big news from San Francisco, where the organisers of the America’s Cup gathered to announce the line-up for the training events to be held in Cascais and Plymouth later in the year.

9 out of 10 sailing websites went with the prepared PR headline – “America’s Cup Teams welcomed to San Francisco,” proving that even when there is news, nobody bothers to do any work, far easier to paste the press release from the communications team verbatim. Cut & Paste content rules.

The numbers are a little confusing, so here is the breakdown. 10 boats, 9 teams, 8 challengers competing, 7 announced. ORACLE racing will send 2 boats to the first round of the America’s Cup World Series exhibition match in Cascais, Portugal. 7 challengers turned up in San Francisco for the press conference and one team (believed to be European) will announce their entry later.

For many, the line-up is not a surprise. The good news is that Team Korea and the Peyron’s Energy Team are in the group challenging for the America’s Cup. Unsurprisingly Australia is not there.

The Teams for the America’s Cup World Series

• China – China Team, Mei Fan Yacht Club
• France – Aleph – Équipe De France, Aleph Yacht Club
• France – Energy Team, Yacht Club de France
• Italy – Venezia Challenge, Club Canottieri Roggero di Lauria
• New Zealand – Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
• Republic of Korea – Team Korea, Sail Korea Yacht Club
• Sweden – Artemis Racing, Kungliga Svenska Segel Sallskapet
• United States – ORACLE Racing, Golden Gate Yacht Club, (Defender)

The reason for ORACLE Racing’s two boat team as reported by AP is because “no other defense candidate has emerged” – which is a nice one line glossing over of months of politics and intrigue that no-doubt will come out at some point. In the mean-time, the ‘American’ team continues to spend bigger than any of its rivals on the travelling warm-up show that is the America’s Cup World Series.

Although the purchase of an AC45 and participation in the ACWS is compulsory for a challenge for the next America’s Cup, it seems that at least one team has not fallen for the distraction. Energy Team, who perhaps have more experience than any other team at sailing multihulls over 60 feet, doesn’t seem to fussed about the 45 foot version – with good reason. The results of the sideshow don’t mean anything – the real competition starts with the Louis Vuitton Cup in the AC72.

While Artemis Racing are now installed as the friendly Challenger of Record for the next edition of the cup, Energy Team is perhaps the one that will give ORACLE Racing the biggest challenge. One imagines that for Bruno Peyron to put his hand up and be on the list of challengers at this stage, the team has the commercial sponsorship required to compete for the ultimate prize.

Bruno Peyron said:

“Energy Team comes to the America’s Cup with great experience in world-class multihull racing. With this new format, we see an exciting opportunity to excel in the America’s Cup. The French public are huge fans of multihull racing so this move to new, dynamic boats will be great for the French sailing audience. And I have no doubt that the passion the French have for fast multihulls will be shared globally once people see these teams racing.”

While ORACLE Racing, backed by Larry Ellison flies the American flag, other teams may have more national support. Team Korea might not have the sailing pedigree of Energy Team or Emirates Team New Zealand, but the team could bring to bear enormous resources in order to win the Cup. The backers of Team Korea are the same people who created the Korea Match Cup, from nothing and in a short space of time have turned it into a nationally broadcast premier sporting event.

Dong-Young Kim, Team Principal said:

“We are very proud to represent the Republic of Korea’s first-ever Challenge for the America’s Cup. With a new boat and new format, Korea can enter the America’s Cup for the first time with a better chance of success. We look forward to building our team and racing the AC45s starting in Portugal.”

New Logo for the Louis Vuitton Cup

The America’s Cup Event Authority have also unveiled a new brand logo for the real America’s Cup challenger series – the Louis Vuitton Cup. The logo playfully hints at the NASCAR wreck element of the new America’s Cup – portraying an AC72 backwards and upside down with the wingsail in the water. The effect is to turn the sails of the boat into a representation of a yacht club burgee.

It’s a classy looking logo, but the connotations are not great.  One might think that Louis Vuitton, who is a global leader in design would think about such things.

Richard Worth, Chairman of the America’s Cup Event Authority said about the new design:

“In every sense of the word, the America’s Cup is reinventing itself, from our cutting-edge boats to breakthrough sporting technology to our visual identity. Everything about this new America’s Cup is designed around transforming the sport.”

Pietro Beccari, Executive Vice-President of Louis Vuitton, added his view on the logo concept:

“When we started to work on the new logo for the Louis Vuitton Cup, we wanted to give it a modern and dynamic design which reflects the spirit of the competition. We began by playing with the sails and the hulls of these huge boats, from which we found the inspiration for the logo of next Louis Vuitton Cup.”

More America’s Cup News

If there really is to be a ‘New Deal’ America’s Cup, where sailing teams can exist as sporting franchises through time without being bailed out by wealthy owners, then it is still a way off. If Emirates Team New Zealand struggles to find sponsorship, then the Cup is not quite the shiny, commercial beacon that the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) wants it to be. Team NZ have consistently performed at the top of the sport and it seems to be forgotten by many that the team finished well ahead of BMW ORACLE in 2007, before quirks of the America’s Cup system installed BMW ORACLE as the challenger of record for the last disastrous edition in 2010.

However – with the help of new sponsors and the honoring of a government contract, Team New Zealand now have enough money to contest the next edition. Team boss Grant Dalton says there is another spot on the boat, and that he backs himself to sell it – but he also says that the job of raising money to keep the team competitive is a never-ending task.

Team New Zealand have benefited from a continuation of involvement in the America’s Cup by Nespresso. While a savvy brand marketing company like Nestle understands the hard commercials of such a deal, the black and white branding looks great with the Team NZ livery and the concept drawing for the new boat are pretty stunning.

Richard Girardot, CEO Nestlé Nespresso S.A. said:

‘We are pleased to continue our involvement in the world of sailing and extremely proud to be part of Emirates Team New Zealand as they challenge for the 34th America’s Cup in 2013. As the longest-standing America’s Cup team, their experience, expertise and innovative mindset, driven by a fighting team spirit is an inspiration for Nespresso and our employees. We wish Grant Dalton and the Team much success in the quest for the ultimate cup.’

Dalton said:

“Today we welcome Nespresso, a premium Swiss-based international coffee brand, as a team sponsor for the 34^th America’s Cup. Nespresso is well-known in sailing circles, a long-time supporter of the sport. Emirates Team New Zealand values its association with premium international brands like Nespresso, where continuous innovation and commitment to success are a core part of the culture.

“Today our long-term sponsors, Emirates Airline, Omega and Toyota New Zealand, who announced their continuing support previously, wished the team well in its quest.”

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations – Worldwide said:

“We are delighted Emirates Team New Zealand has been able to take the next major step on the America’s Cup journey to San Francisco,” said “When we renewed our commitment to the team last month we were confident in Grant Dalton lodging a successful entry for the challenger series. His resourcefulness and the team’s record of achievement have shone through once again and we very much look forward to watching Emirates Team New Zealand compete at the very highest level of world yachting.”

Team NZ will also benefit from long term partnerships with OMEGA and Toyota New Zealand.

With Emirates Team New Zealand now officially entered in the next America’s Cup, Grant Dalton is starting to sound like a Challenger of Record. The official holder of that position is Mascaloze Latino, but rarely does the team or the yacht club it represents make public statements. Dalton on the other hand, doesn’t seem to mind being quoted as criticising the way things are going. In an interview in recent days he said that one of the reasons that the team is competing in the Extreme Sailing Series, as well as being a great platform to come up to speed on how to sail a multihull, was because the team were disappointed in how light the AC45 program is and the lack of competing teams.

Dalton also warns that the switch to a 72 foot version of the America’s Cup catamarans will challenge the logistics capabilities of teams. He said that the AC45 was giving people a false sense of security. He said:

It’s ridiculous that you need a full size building crane to get a boat in the water to go for a sail – it’s just silly. But it’s a given and you have to accept it.

Dalton also scoffed at the PR line that the boats would lead to younger crews.

Look at the crew sailing on ORACLE – they’re all old – which is ironic when you think about the original statement.

More America’s Cup News

America's Cup jobs in NZ, but where do the profits go?

What’s the America’s Cup worth to New Zealand? It’s a question that has to be asked from time to time, given the investment in the America’s Cup by the New Zealand government, and while the television audience for the Cup may be only about half of the number that is expected to watch the Rugby World Cup to be staged in Auckland in September there is a desire for governments to invest in sailing events for reasons from tourism to marine infrastructure to national pride.

The America’s Cup has the potential to be bigger than the Rugby World Cup, with countries like Korea and China having a better chance of winning the America’s Cup than the World Cup of Rugby any time soon, but whenever there is government money involved, such investment becomes politicial, especially when a country with limited population and resources has to find the money to pay for things like the rebuilding of Christchurch.

New Zealand’s Acting Economic Development Minister David Carter has reconfirmed government support for Emirates Team New Zealand’s entry into the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco, but it is uncertain if this would be the case, had the funding not been guaranteed by a contract signed by the previous government. Under a commitment made in 2007, the NZ government is contracted to contribute up to $36 million to support Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup bid.

Mr Carter is quoted as saying:

“The funding has the potential to generate significant economic benefits for New Zealand, in particular for our world-class marine industry. With the eyes of the world on San Francisco in 2013, we will use the America’s Cup to our full advantage by showcasing New Zealand’s technology, products and services, and encouraging tourism. In the current economic climate, it is important that maximum benefit is gained from this significant investment of taxpayer money, and the Government’s expectations in this regard are clear.”

An independent economic impact assessment of the 2007 campaign showed a direct economic benefit to New Zealand of $74.4m. The funding also retains up to 100 highly skilled specialists in New Zealand, including yachtsmen, designers and engineers.

As Core Builders Composites, Ltd – the Auckland based manufacturer of the AC45, has increased the price of the catamaran to €695,000 (US$1 million), you would think that the NZ marine economy might be getting a nice little dividend, however the company is a wholly owned subsidiarity of Oracle Racing. In fact, the company was incorporated in 2000 as Oracle Racing Ltd and the name wasn’t changed until October 2010. So while there might be jobs being created and some hotel rooms being occupied by America’s Cup sailors as they train, it’s not known how much economic benefit will go to the New Zealand economy.

Nevertheless, Emirates Team New Zealand, who officially announced their entry into the next edition of the America’s Cup, has welcomed the Government’s intention to honor the contract.

Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said:

“The Government’s contribution allows us to be competitive on the world stage. We are very much the arrowhead of a major New Zealand export industry and we take pride in showcasing the New Zealand brand, skills and expertise across the major yachting regattas of the world. The pinnacle for us will be to bring the America’s Cup home and with New Zealand’s support behind us, we plan to do just that.”

More America’s Cup Business News…

America’s Cup Challengers Announced.

Back when the ‘new era’ of the America’s Cup was announced, the 30th of March must have seen like as good a deadline as any to close the entries and announce the venues for a new America’s Cup World Series. It’s the end of the financial year for some and it’s the end of the first quarter. The only downside is that if you are going to make announcements the next day, April 1, then your big news is going to have to compete with the noise of the quaint traditions of April Fools Day.

And just as Twitter and other ‘knee-jerk’ communication mechanisms spread un-researched, ignorant stories every other day, on April Fools Day 2011, it’s even worse.  So amongst the articles trying to be clever and tricky, the America’s Cup Event Authority has announced that 15 teams have ‘entered’ for the next edition. In the same release – they have confirmed venues and dates for America’s Cup World Series Events in 2011.

$880 Million of Team Funding Required

If all the entrants announced today make it to the point of building and racing a 72 ft America’s Cup boat, then the amount of money that will have been raised, mostly through private wealth rather than sponsorship, will be around $880 Million. Our calculations could be way off base, but if you assume 3 teams with budgets of 100 million, 10 with budgets of 50 million and 3 with budgets of 40 million, then a lot of cash has to be found in a pretty short lead-time.

As well as the Defender, Oracle Racing, and the Challenger of Record, Mascalzone Latino – America’s Cup organisers claim that 13 other teams got their entries in by the 30th of March deadline. Of these, 12 have been ‘validated’ and two others are still to be assessed against the qualifying requirements.  However, five of these teams have not been ‘disclosed’ and so the publicly presented list has not changed since the passing of the deadline.

Iain Murray, Regatta Director and CEO, America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM) said:

“Fifteen teams promises an exciting America’s Cup World Series, Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series and ultimately 34th America’s Cup Final. The new wing-sailed, multi-hulled yachts will be fast and physically demanding, keeping the racing dynamic and interesting until the finish. We are looking forward to seeing these teams on the AC World Series circuit later this year. It is time to go racing.”

The current list of vetted and accepted competitors stands at:

1. ALEPH EQUIPE DE FRANCE (France)
2. Artemis Racing (Sweden)
3. China Team (China)
4. Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand)
5. Energy Team (France)
6. Mascalzone Latino (Italy)
7. ORACLE Racing (USA)
8. Team Australia (Australia)

More America’s Cup News.

It was probably inevitable that when the Volvo Ocean Race left its long term base in the UK and moved to Alicante,  Spain, that there would be some personnel changes. The appointment of Pedro Galván Paris as Marketing and Communications Director shows that the organisation is still leading the sailing world when it comes to pursuing the best people in sports marketing, not just the best people in the sport of sailing.

Galván was formerly Chief Marketing Officer of Euroleague Basketball for over five years and during this period he was also a member of the Board of Directors at ESA (European Sponsorship Association).

The news comes after Volvo Ocean Race organisers announced that Greg Miall would join the team as Commercial Director, another appointment from outside the sailing community. The Volvo Ocean Race is sending a clear message that they want to be one of the best sporting events in the world, not just the best sailing event in the world.

Pedro Galván Paris  has an exceptional background in Strategic and Operative Marketing as well as in Sports Marketing, having ESADE and IESE degrees. He has also taught in several premier business schools and spoken at conferences on sports marketing. His role encompasses all Marketing and Communication output from the Volvo Ocean Race.

During his time at Euroleague Basketball Galván focused heavily on the sports marketing and partnerships agreements, especially concentrating on the brand building experience. He said:

“I think the Volvo Ocean Race has huge potential to increase its growth on the world’s stage as a premier sporting event and I am looking forward to being an active part of this. I want to increase awareness of the race for all audiences across the board, not only for the sailing fans but also for the general public. The race has such a capacity to capture the hearts and imaginations of people and we want to spread that globally as we did at Euroleague Basketball.”

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad has been employing the services of top headhunting firm, Egon Zender International to procure his new team for the 2011-12 race. The appointment of Galván completes the Directorial staff for the Volvo Ocean Race. Frostad said:

“I believe we have the best possible person in Pedro to develop our Marketing and Communications in the future. I am looking forward to working with him on our strategy for the next race and elevating the race to new levels.”

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Emirates Team New Zealand will enter the 2011-12 edition of the race in conjunction with Real Club Nautico Palma. Reports from Spain say that the team will be backed by shoe company ‘Camper’. Team NZ spokesman Warren Douglas has denied any deal has been signed, but the two parties have scheduled an announcement for 5pm today (Monday)

Following the collapse of New Zealand based marine clothing supplier Line7 last year, several high profile teams have been in the market for a new official clothing sponsor, including Emirates Team New Zealand.

The NZ America’s Cup challenger has announced that the new official technical clothing supplier will be Gill. The word technical suggests that the door has been left open for a more fashion oriented brand to supply the team with off-the-water kit.

Gill, which is currently supporting the UK tri-services project; exercise Transglobe, will be supplying a range of if its technical product for both the prestigious Louis Vuitton Trophy events during 2010, and the TP52 taking part in this seasons Audi Medcup.

Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton said he is pleased to welcome Gill to the team.

“The partnership brings together Emirates Team New Zealand and Gill, an acknowledged world leader in research, development, design and production of high-performance technical sailing clothing. Gill is a brand the team is proud to wear.”

Founder and Chairman of Gill, Nick Gill commented

“we have been developing high performance technical clothing for exactly these environments and this partnership offers a great opportunity to have the gear on the water with a fabulous team which are at the absolute pinnacle of performance sailing. Our new Race Collection for example has been developed specifically for this area of the sport. In elite events such as these it is the details that make the difference between winning and losing. Our high performance garments will be exposed to the race environment which they were designed for, we trust that they will excel and hope that they may even make the difference that turns a 2nd into a 1st.”

Our thinking has been all wrong. Ever since the New York Court of Appeals brought down their verdict in favour of the Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW ORACLE, we have taken the position that the best thing that the new Challenger of Record and the Defender could do, would be to dispense with a Deed of Gift Match and opt for a multichallenger event.

This was obviously a view taken from the point of view of a non-American fan, or the Commercial Director of a team like Emirates Team New Zealand or TEAMORIGIN. Our argument was that a multichallenger event may stop these teams from disspearing altogether, putting more pressure on an already depressed industry.

But why should businessmen Larry Ellison and Ernesto Betarelli care about other team’s sponsors? This is a great sponsorship opportunity for their commercial partners. If I was the Marketing Director of BMW, a DOG match with only one other opponent guarantees more share of media coverage. Instead of being 1 of 20 potential sponsors, I am one of two. 50% of the coverage of a DOG match is about my brand.

Here is an opportunity for any media that still care about the America’s Cup to write about a handful of commercial partners for 10 months, without having to devote column inches, airtime or web-pages to other team’s sponsors and distractions.

It’s something we really should have thought about earlier, but I guess we were in a more ‘winning by sharing’ frame of mind. Given some of the statements from series like the iShares Cup and sponsors of the Vendee Globe, we really should have taken a step into the shoes of Alinghi and BMW ORACLE earlier.

Mark Turner, CEO of OC Group, has said that the iShares Cup should have a maximum number of boats per series. This is because on the one hand, eXtreme 40 catamarans at close quarters could get messy, but it also guarantees sponsors a certain share of the coverage. The Vendee Globe has also used the same argument – 30 boats is the maximum that can be accommodated on the docks at the start, but also being 1 out of 30 sponsors means your campaign gets lost in the noise of brands.

Even Louis Vuitton could sign up to that. How exclusive can you get? No dog food or pizza sponsors, no riff-raff, just an American billionaire versus a European billionaire – just like the good old days.

So, providing BMW ORACLE and Alinghi keep some high profile Kiwis and Aussies to guarantee a little bit of interest from fans in the southern hemisphere, and choose a venue in Europe to keep a couple of casual fans interested in that part of the world – the DOG match could be a sponsor’s dream and deliver real return on investment for a lucky few.

Scott Mcleod – Chairman of Force10 Marketing says different : Click to read what he has to say.

A few years ago, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), ran with the slogan ‘For the Fans’. It wasn’t just a glib marketing line, it was a mission statement that was considered by officials, teams and media when making decisions. The principle lead to some innovative schemes to bring the sport and the fans closer together. I will never forget long time Le Mans Radio announcer John Hinghaugh saying over the public address system at the Sebring international raceway – “fans are invited to come down to the main straight, onto the grid” – minutes before the race started. You didn’t need a special ticket, anyone could walk the grid, be up close to the cars or have their picture taken on the start line.

It wasn’t just fans at the track that were thought about. ALMS offered live web radio streaming, live timing and scoring worldwide and were the first American motorsport series to offer real-time SMS text message updates. The theory behind the text messages was that some fans couldn’t be in front of their tv or computer for the whole 12 hours of an endurance race, so if they were in the hardware store or shopping for groceries, they could still stay in touch.

Contrast this mentality with events in Auckland over the last couple of days where the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has been designed to showcase America’s Cup style sailing, a luxury goods manufacturer and the country of New Zealand. Alinghi, defender of the America’s Cup, took a ‘competitive’ decision not to compete against hosts Emirates Team New Zealand.

Alinghi’s official statement read:

With a competitive elimination round coming up in the next few days Alinghi had everything to lose and nothing to gain in racing the home team Emirates Team New Zealand.

Alinghi’s US skipper Ed Baird was left to defend the decision saying:

‘We are loving this regatta, the racing has been great and the summer conditions have been fantastic . . . Normally we would jump at the chance to sail against Team New Zealand as we have so many times in the past, so we are sorry to have to make this strategic choice.’

Alinghi’s behaviour, though technically legal, shows that sailing has a lot to learn about being a spectator sport. It is unthinkable that a professional sports team like Manchester United or The New York Yankees would refuse to play a game against a rival based on the argument that ‘they had nothing to gain.’ This is partly because they play in stadiums, where fans buy tickets to watch the game – fans are quantifiable, they are promised a show and promoters have a duty to provide the advertised entertainment. These professional teams also have a duty to sponsors and television schedules. What do they have to gain by playing a dead rubber? more exposure, more glory, more money.

We asked Alinghi if they had any comment to make to fans who might have travelled to New Zealand to watch racing, or other fans who follow the racing around the world? We asked if fans were considered when making the decision not to race?

The response rehashed the statement of the day before.

Sailing is a big deal in Auckland, so naturally there was a sense that Alinghi was at the very least being unsportsmanlike. Bob Fisher wrote:

This was hardly a gentlemanly action by the holders of the America’s Cup to deny the Kiwis the opportunity to race against them for the first time since they met in July 2007. It had been hailed as the Match of the Day by the local press and broadcasters and one that the spectators were ready to appreciate.

After all there were Auckland citizens who through financial reasons were denied the opportunity to cheer their team in Valencia and who were gathering on North Head for this match. Their disappointment was immense and calls were made to those close to the event complaining about the behaviour of the Swiss team, whose skipper would have known the full effect of the decision not to race.

Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper Dean Barker went further:

I was disgusted. The racing has been close, competitors are enjoying themselves and the public are being treated to some great sailing. Why would they introduce a niggle into a very successful regatta? It’s all about the spirit of the event. It’s all about doing what right for yachting. Their action was insulting and disrespectful to our team and to the New Zealand people. We were really wanted to race them today, the first time since July 2007. We don’t know what their agenda is. If they were taking a swipe at us they missed the target and whacked the thousands of New Zealand yachting fans who are following the action in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series and wanted to see two great teams go head to head. It inexplicable when the team pulls a stunt like this. It’s just bad sportsmanship.”

It’s hard to see how Alinghi’s actions cannot be seen as bringing the sport of sailing into disrepute. In a time when people are trying to raise sponsorship and awareness of yacht racing, actions like this give potential supporters an excuse not to participate. If one of the most visible teams can decide not to compete, how can we convince sponsors, media and fans that they should comit time and money to watching?

Even the most self-centered sports realise that without fans they will die. Formula One teams have traditionally not thought about grass-roots fans. I have spoken to commercial directors of F1 teams who have said “spending money on developing merchandise and websites doesn’t make the car go any faster”. But as racing became procession like, with limited if any overtaking, fans started to stop watching. Without viewers, sponsor returns fell and the teams suddenly realised that the fans were important. In recent years, F1 took the unprecedented action of surveying fans to ask what they would change about the sport. F1 in 2009 will be different – in no small part due to the fact that the sport listened to the fans.

In recent years, professsional sailing has relied on the support and sponsorship of destinations using the sport to promote tourism. Yesterday on tis site, google ads were appearing for spectator cruises tied to Auckland travel packages. Perhaps the organisers of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series thought that no team would ever take the action Alinghi did, that it was just not the done thing. If yacht racing wants to continue to receive money from cities and national tourist boards, organisers need to punish teams that make decisions that affect the advertised entertainment.

The American Le Mans Series now use the slogan ‘World Class’. It’s too late for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, but perhaps savvy sailing promoters should adopt the mantra ‘For the Fans’.

Follow me on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dmfreedom

• Pataugas K-Challenge beat China team
• Emirates Team New Zealand beat Damiani Italia Challenge
• Team Origin beat Luna Rossa
• Alinghi beat Greek Challenge (who were awarded a score of -1 following a collision)

http://www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com/

Just two days out from the Pacific Series the village is almost ready. The pools have been announced with BMW ORACLE and Emirates Team New Zealand being pitted against each other in the heats.

Pool A

• Team New Zealand 
• BMW Oracle Racing 
• K-Challenge 
• Damiani Italia 
• China Team

Pool B

• Alinghi 
• Greek Challenge 
• Team Origin 
• Team Shosholoza 
• Luna Rossa 

While some teams have had a lot of experience in these boats, others have had only a few days.

Gavin Brady, once helmsman of BMW ORACLE now helmsmen of Greek Challenge, pointed out that they had 5 years at the American team in order to get ready for the America’s Cup while the Greek team has only 5 days. Despite the fact there are more medalists on the Greek team than BMW Oracle, the learning curve is extremely steep.

Even Ben Ainslie, helmsman for Team Origin, has to take things slowly. The former second helmsman of Emirates Team NZ might know the boats and his kiwi opponents inside out, he will have to tame his aggressive sailing in order not to ruin the event by crashing the yachts on the first day

The battle of the world’s three sailing heavyweights – Barker, Coutts and Alinghi’s Brad Butterworth – is being dubbed the friendly game by Team New Zealand in an attempt to move on from the off water feuds over the next America’s Cup.

“There was a moment on the first day of sailing,” says Team New Zealand’s Managing Director Grant Dalton. “We were sailing against Russell and it was just cool to be out on the water again with these boats and things and thinking why, why did it need to get to this.”

But Grant Dalton knows that is not the only relationship that has suffered.

“It re-engages the public with this team and the sport because there is absolutely no doubt that it’s damaged,”

explains Dalton.