17th man sees action with his dream team

By CATHY ARONSON

Fourteen-year-old Sam Thom wants to sail for Team New Zealand one day, so the chance to race with his heroes at the weekend was a dream come true.

Sailing out as the 17th man on NZL81 with the Team NZ crew gave Sam the chance to watch them in action and pick up a few tips.

He was also given one of the best views of the Hauraki Gulf after being hoisted to the top of the mast, 27 metres above the boat.

"That was really exciting. It's such a good view from the top. I really liked it. I got to steer the boat, it was a great experience," he said.

As 17th man, Sam also spent much of Saturday perched on the back of the black boat as Bertrand Pace took on Dean Barker's crew on NZL82 in a series of practice races.

Sam said later that it had been good just listening to the crew talking about navigating, and it had given him a definite taste for one day sailing on board an America's Cup boat.

Sam won the 14-year-old section for the P-class nationals and came sixth overall out of 110 others last month.

This year he plans to go on to the Starling Class and sail in the next year's nationals.

Sam comes from a family of sailors. His father, Murray Thom, also won the P-class nationals in his day and grandfather Neville Thom won the Sanders Cup.

"I guess it is in the blood. I love the water and I like the competitive side."

Team NZ tactician Hamish Pepper said the team enjoyed giving young hopefuls an insight into cup racing.

"It's great to see them so excited about it. It's a great way to keep them involved in yachting."

When Sam is not sailing he's watching the team's progress and is putting his full faith in Team NZ's defence of the America's Cup.

"They're going to win, I hope."

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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