KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Simon Ansley
Yes, we should definately compete again. The boys have done so well, what a fantastic battle. I know in these times winning is everything, but I am so proud of the effort and skill displayed by Team NZ. They gave it everything and although they could possibly consider themselves unlucky on a couple of incidents, that is sport and we competed hard in one of the hardest competitions in the world. We lost the cup, but in other ways we have won.
Roland
For sure! I must admit to being disappointed now, but I'm still so proud of our team. They have done a fantastic job, so let's bring 'em home and celebrate their successes and get ready for the next challenge!
It's not over till the litigation!
This isn't over! Come on New Zealand! You have'nt tried the most successful tactic you have ever used to win the cup - a lawsuit. I am sure you can find representation and good cause to "win" the cup again like you did in San Diego. I suppose it doesn't help that most of the "talent" have sold out their country for other teams. But you are still in with a shot! Go for it!
Andrew (Christchurch)
Dirty sportsmanship, we as Kiwis hate it. Time for pay back, and big. We need to build a strength in this country that we won't stand for being put down, stabbed in the back and pushed about. Kiwis are the worlds little battlers, and its time we remind ourselves of it and get up off the ground and get into these buggers. We as a nation should ask how can we help these guys to win the next America's Cup. What ever it takes, we have the best saliors and the best designers in the world. Ok we have guys in other teams and they are there looking after their families and futures but maybe we need to offer them chances to face for us again, if it be that we need two teams, be it. As a kiwi right now would you rather the government was saving billions of dollars for your retirement or watching two or three Team New Zealand's building for the next America's Cup and stick it to the yachting world.
Geoff Sedon
Team Emirates New Zealand did well as we did after all win the LV cup. But in the end more money and experience counted against us. We made a few to many errors when it counted and that is all the opposition needs in this game. We did well to do what we did on a shoestring budget and look what happened to BMW Oracle. Who knows where the next cup will be held and when. We should be there but as always it will be a pity we will be going for a challenge again without the best Americas cup skipper Russell Coutts, I would of hated to think what the score would of been if he had been sailing for Alinghi. Meanwhile thanks team NZ for the memories and good times and roll on THE All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup.
Rachel (Auckland)
Your guts & determination are an inspiration to us all, absolutely the right team to challenge for the Auld Mug. You didn't win this time but I doubt there would be anyone who could say that you didn't give it your all. The differences in the team from 2003 have been clear to see. Proud to be a Kiwi today!
Toby
I cannot believe more money is being thrown at this while other sports in NZ continue to struggle. Why not share some around?
Trevor Jones
Defeat from the Jaws of Victory. Eight basic mistakes in 3 races (races 5-7) - if we are to put $10m into looking at the next event we should make sure we have capable people in the afterguard. Errors are bound to be made - but to make the same mistake three times is unforgivable. Point three (of only three) of Chris Dickson's "How to win Regattas" seminar says - he who makes the least mistakes wins. Very relevant.
Ana (Auckland)
For us not to compete again is like withdrawing the All Blacks from the world cup cos they're not winning it. What this regatta demonstrated was that the best sailors in the world are kiwis and although things didn't go our way with a couple of calls doesn't mean we throw the towel in. It's not in us to do that. Sure we didn't have the budget of Alinghi and others, but we made up for that in heart, passion and unity from within the team and outside it with the support of NZers at home and in Spain. It went along way, next time may it take us all the way. Hats off to Alinghi give them credit, but we will be back. A big thanks and congrats to Grant Dalton. Also to Dean Barker and his crew, a big ask, but hopefully we can keep them together for the next challenge.
John (Wellington)
The team that won was the better team, so obviously Alinghi were the better team - congratulations! I don't think Labour should be throwing around $10,000,000 of tax payers money this close to an election, because the country's certainly got bigger fish to fry than Ernesto's ego. And I don't think such an investment is warranted on the 'Team' as it's presently configured. Dean Barker, by all measures was out-sailed, and Grant Dalton (apparently) has already elected himself syndicate head. Since when do losers get to nominate themselves for another 'crack' at losing again? It's time for a changing of the guard, more of the same-old just makes the Government's irresponsible investments that much more senseless.
Tess (Switzerland)
I am a Swiss who lived 10 years ago in NZ. I love the country so much and with all his people. I watch all the races and supporting the team, all trough it was not easy surrounded with all the Swiss fans here. For me, definitely the wrong one won the Cup. Dean Barker and the Team are excellent! The race today was a Hitchcock Krimi with the bad end for NZ. But I hope they will have the chance to win it the next time! The best of this America's Cup for me - it makes me remember a wonderful country witch I want to go back soon.
Kind regards from Switzerland.
John the Ausi (Auckland)
Time you kiwis stopped harping on about how good you are at sailing and appreciated that others are as good if not much better. You are very bad lossers. When England won the rugger you could not handle it either. Just throwing money at a boat design does not make you a good sailor. Try some real sailing in high winds - oh you didn't you and snapped you mast. Then the boat almost sank. Get A life!
Terry
Yes great! They now have 4 years to get out and seek paying sponsorship, and thereby save the average working Kiwi from having to bolster the costs incurred in this elitist sport.
BigKiwi64 (Orange County, California, USA)
New Zealand should definitely challenge for the cup again. TNZ hast two huge assets: 1. Unrivalled fan support, from the entire country.
2. Like Rugby and incredible talent pool to draw from.
With that said, The America's Cup is a professional sport, not unlike "Formula One". So if you want to "play with the big dogs" you've got to "Pony Up". Gee that's how we lost Coutts and the others last time (and don't think the current team isn't vulnerable to pouching from big syndicates) and to label the traitors is ludicrous. They are not soldiers; they're the world's best professional sailors. They've brought more fame, recognition and investment into New Zealand than anything imaginable. It's not like we will ever get the Olympics! So long as the New Zealand public is happy to sit back and reap the glory of our team's success. Everyone should be totally behind our Government, no mater how big, to fund the next challenge. In the overall picture the money is peanuts' and anyone who even hints that the government and tax payers shouldn't invest in TNZ, should be branded a traitor!
Go Kiwis!
Bruce
Really! I thought Alinghi won the America's Cup by three races!
Kiwi wannabe (Seattle, USA)
Without question Team NZ should mount another challenge. It speaks volumes that they have been in every Cup match since '95 and a contender since Fremantle. As an American, the Cup made me take notice of NZ (yes I admit it, I backed Dennis Connor in those days) and since KZ-1 I have been a fan and supporter of having the greatest sailors and people that I have met in this world hold the Cup. Stand tall, be proud, take heart, and support Team NZ, they have done your nation proud.
Susan
Of course we should mount another challenge!! Let's welcome the team home with pleasure and support them to win in 2011!
Basman (Hamilton)
It is all good to have the best equipment and team to compete with. What is missing here is a positive mental approach to this race. To much bad karma and boasting will lead to failure. Sorry Team NZ but what you resisted persisted. Better luck next time and let's hope you have positive Karma next time.
Razertrader
Unfortunately Alinghi won the America's Cup 2007 despite Team NZ giving 100 per cent effort. Any future NZ entry into the America's Cup should be privately funded and not subsidised by the NZ government! I suggest the millions of taxpayer and sponsor dollars would be better used to improve the health and education of New Zealand children and young people. I would rather see sick children get the best possible health care and not have to wait for costly operations because of lack of funds, equipment or trained medical staff.
MCAC (Whangarei)
Thank goodness we didn't win. While I feel sorry for the Team I couldn't have coped with the gloating that would emanate from Lady Helen and Mallard.
JV (Auckland)
Who cares - It's only yachting.
Proud Kiwi (Manukau)
If it was so close why couldn't they make it a draw. I am so gutted. If it was the final race of all nine I could understand it. Good on ya boys, I am very proud of you. Now watch Bertarelli change the rules once again to make it hard for anyone else to compete with any chance at all.
Trevor (Mt Roskill)
The Alinghi-UBS-BT Infonet team from New Zealand have won the boat race over the Emirates-Toyota team from New Zealand! We've won!
TM (Auckland)
It was a close match and I think the teams were well matched, to lose this race by one second and that it wasn't a whitewash showed we have the ability to do it. Also of course we should mount another challenge, we can bring the cup back next time, and the team we have is the best, with Grant Dalton, Dean Barker and the rest of the crew, they can do it. They did us proud over there, next time hopefully they will come back with two cups not just the Louis Vuitton!
Weary Supporter (France)
After supporting Emirates Team New Zealand in Valencia for 11 days, and departing Valencia on Tuesday morning, we were absolutely distraught to hear of the result. A one second win by Alinghi - my husband and I are just devastated; can't even begin to describe our feelings right now. We stood on the sidelines every morning and afternoon, from race 1 of finals, screaming, waving and doing everything we could to send the boys off. And we sat on the bare, hard concrete in the Wool Shed to watch each race. Our hearts break for the boys today and can empathise their feelings and pain. To lose to someone like Ernesto & Butterworth makes it even more unpalatable. Increasingly we heard negative comments from Swiss supporters and Swiss media in their opinions towards the Alinghi 'camp'. We would love to see Team New Zealand mount another challenge, but for someone like Ernesto B, it is only about money, and it seems his money can buy anything. Or so he thinks! We're sad tonight and still hurting!
Ray E (Whangarei)
How very typical of this socialist government. Give money to sports, build new sport complexes and ignore the important issues of health for the taxpayers. This socialist/communist government has got to go. I believe that a person who wants to play sports or travel in a group of sports people should be paying their own way. I have my own sporting interest in Blokarts and I sure as hell can not even get our local council to give me permission to use any of its sports grounds. So why does chairman Helen give away millions to sports each year. I guess it's because she can big note herself.
Kaysie (Henderson)
No Way. Should have been the Kiwi's all the way, at least we sailed with Kiwi's! And barring a few unlucky breaks it would have been ours.
Jonathan Maze
Congratulations Team NZ. They fought hard all the way and the ghosts of 2003 have been well exorcised. The knife edge racing could have gone either way and the 5-2 result doesn't reflect the closeness of the competition. Well done lads!
Mamen (Valencia)
I love America's Cup since I saw Team NZ sailing. I think that they have soul, courage, honesty...they are a big big team. The people from Valencia have seen the best sailors in the world. Dean barker*guapo x dentro y x fuera.
Mic (Auckland)
As for Chris from Zurich who said he is proud they won as a small nation with no ocean, I would just like to say that if it wasn't for our 7 sailors you would not of been here at all, its a shame it has come down to who has the biggest amount of money to buy sailors because that nation doesn't have any of their own. Congratulations though Chris, I can't wait to see your team again when your sailors defect to a different team, good luck then.
MDC (Auckland)
Not sure whether you could say the best team won, as the races are always subject to the swings and the roundabouts on the day. The fact that Alinghi's boat was a smidgen faster did seem to add up over the whole race and so we had to work that much harder. Our boys are amazing, of course we must compete again and bring the Cup home to NZ. We are so proud of you Team NZ.
LV
Great race last night fantastic drama... but TNZs team and crew work blew it big time in this race. They had control of the start and let Alinghi off the hook. They then gave their advantage away on the 1st leg. They then choose the left hand gate giving Alinghi the favoured right side. TNZ then didn't read what Alinghi was doing at the top mark and gave away a penalty a fair call. And now the NZ govt wants to sign these guys up again. Lets face it, TNZ were second best through out the regatta, Alinghi were an all round better crew, with better team work, a better boat, a better afterguard and deserved to win. The only lucky aspect of the America's Cup win was that TNZ got 2 wins. Dalton has said they went to Valencia to win the America's Cup they didn't so the campaign has been a failure in that regard. Time for a change of personal. Barker's 2 wins from 12 races in America's Cup finals is simply not good enough. Surely we have other skippers in NZ that could be given a chance ahead of Dean Barker. Well done Brad and the other Kiwis on Alinghi you have done us all proud.
Glynn (Haven Massive)
The Americas Cup is a joke. $34 million of taxpayers money down the drain and the government couldn't come up with $1 million to keep a professional football side alive. Open up your eyes Helen and put money into something the rest of the world cares about.
Panda
The money spent on this boat race should be of their own doing and not the taxpayer, that money should be spent on the health sector and education.
Wayne from the Coast
We should definitely compete again and the government should back the challenge financially, if for no other reason than the potential economic benefit to New Zealand of winning the Cup and the exposure we get for our country in the process.
Anna
Would we suggest the All Blacks stop competing if they were runners up in the world cup?!
Tony (Zürich, Switzerland)
Difficult moment:
I was left with a memory of a movies called the Right Stuff where The President asks if the Americans will put a man into space first. At which point the head scientist (a German) replies "no Mr. President we will be first" the President asks "why?" to which the German scientist replies "because Mr. President, our Germans are better than their Germans..."
The vast majority of sailors on both boats were New Zealanders. The Swiss boat was built in Switzerland, but it is not a swiss Team except in Managment. In fact only one person on the Boat was Swiss and that was Ernesto Bertarelli himself.This alone is a tremendous tribute to New Zealand and the sailing spirit there. The New Zealanders did win the Cup too. Let's leave it at that. Well done New Zealand! Come back again and take the Cup back.
Rach
The better team won on the day but Team NZ is still awesome and we should go for it next time and win and bring the auld cup back home where it belongs. Definitely Team NZ should mount another challenge.
Terry
What a shame Helen can't find 10 million to help our flagging 3rd world hospital system.
Ross
Absolutely without a doubt we should have another crack at it.
JohnnyMac
In one word - YES :-(
Helen (Hamilton)
Yes. The best team won. Team NZ fought hard, but Alinghi was too good for us in the end. Better luck next time.
Terry
Yes great! They now have 4 years to get out and seek paying sponsorship, and thereby save the average working Kiwi from having to bolster the costs incurred in this elitist sport.
Charles family (Auckland)
You have done as proud!
Mike
Do the All Blacks give up and stop playing for the world cup when they loose, do the Black Caps give up when things don't go there own way. Its only money and if the Government don't help out, corporate Sponsors will.
David
Yes and yes.
Mary (Hamilton)
Of course we should! There is little credit for Alligni in winning this contest. They whinged and moaned all the way through showing themselves as very poor sports, while our team behaved with dignity. Chris Dickson pointed out that removal of the clip which attached the halliard to the mainsail removed about 5 pounds weight from the top of the mast giving them a definite advantage outside the rules. The Protest committee should have ordered a resail.We should suggest the next contest be held in U.K. over the Round the Island course that the first one was sailed over.!
R (LA)
We were outsailed, plain and simple. We know that the Swiss boat was no faster than the Kiwi boat.
Sandra
I'm an Australian living in Italy and have been glued to the telly for the last several weeks trying to blow wind into New Zealand's sails.Of course it isn't all over and of course they must go on. Such a small nation with its very determined and able crew gave the top dogs such a big bone to chew that they can't stop here.(And to be quite honest I'm not even sure that Alinghi really did win (by 1 second!!)) Seems a bit like when Australia lost to Italy in the last couple of seconds of the Soccer Game.Go New Zealand! and better luck next time.
Nevagivup (Auckland)
If Team NZ isn't the best to us New Zealanders than who is? We might have lost the race but one thing for sure - we haven't lost our team. The penalty must have felt like a brick on the head but they didn't give up - they fought all the way to the end and that's why they are the best. The fight is over so lets get ready for the return of the best team with open arms. Celebrate I say - that's the spirit! Win? or Loose? they didn't give up so why should we?
Julian (Hamilton)
Chris from Zurich can feel pride that the money that won them the cup was at least Swiss or maybe even Euro. The Team that won them the cup however are mostly all Kiwi, and I can take solace in that, NZers are strong in sailing, no matter who they sail with. So yeah, the America's Cup is Ernesto's for now, he paid lots of money for it and the Kiwi boys on his boat benefit themselves and their families, good on them for it, let history judge them. As for another challenge, yes I would like to see another challenge, but it seems everyone will need to vote Labour to do so, as National Sports Spokesman Murray McCully will not guarantee support for ETNZ. In the light of a fantastic effort by ETNZ, that is very shortsighted to say the least, I applaud this Govt for giving my tax dollars to ETNZ (10 million) to keep the team together. Anyway, this is not about Govt, it is about ETNZ, I hope that Emerites, Toyota and Lion Nathan cough up the dough, spend a bit more as well, and NZ does have a billionaire as well, maybe he can get on the patriotic bus and chip in.
Roy briggs
I think our team New Zealand did us proud regardless of the outcome, they sure proved that Kiwis can fly and after the previous dence of the cup here in NZ I think a big 10/10 to Grant Dalton, and all of the team for collecting themselves and presenting a very profesional challenge to the cup.Thanks Team NZ we may not have won the cup but we won back our pride.
dc
ETNZ did well to win the Luis Vitton but not well enough to win the Americas Cup. From memory this challenge has cost the taxpayer ~$30M and we've just committed another $10M to keep the team together. Personally I don't believe yacht racing is a good investment of taxpayers money.
Loones
Sorry. Did I miss something here? Is it now the government's job to prop up elitist sports that could easily get private funding? Last election don't recall and mention of draining money out of important social mainstays as health, welfare, education and police improve a small group's chances of winning a sporting event. And meanwhile the hypocrites who drone on about wanting tax cuts smile and say nothing as the government wastes money on these petty, feel-good issues.
Leon1
Of course we should. I want to thank Grant, Dean and the boys for the great sailing. That Auld Mug should be in Auckland. I don't mind my tax money going to support this sport. I also want to thank Emirates, Estrella Damm and Toyota for sponsoring and supporting our team for without them there would be no challenge and no LV cup coming home. We did well so bring on the next regatta and a chance to show Ernesto who rules the waves and wipe that smirk off his face,
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