KEY POINTS:
The partying lasted until 6am in the Team New Zealand headquarters when the last of the jubilant crew staggered back to their hotel, their grins as wide as the winning margin in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Around 300 people made up of crew, their families and guests, including the Minister for the America's Cup Trevor Mallard, celebrated the win New Zealand-style with a vast barbecue, a bouncy castle for the kids and copious quantities of beer and wine.
Even members of the defeated Luna Rossa team swallowed their pride and left their own post-match party to join the Kiwi celebrations as a band formed from Team NZ crew members belted out homegrown pop favourites by The Exponents and Dave Dobbyn.
"It was quite a big night and fair enough frankly," said Grant Dalton.
Asked how the team would manage the gap in racing, Dalton replied: "That's an important point because they can't hold a peak for too long, 16 days is probably too long. The funny thing is we have won by five-zip, which is quite a surprise. We were just trying to take it one day at a time. Alinghi is going to be formidable ... it's quick. They've got good guys and it's impossible to tell."
Dalton promised his was a motivated team of 125 members.
"When we started in 03 I knew the damage which had been done to the public. But to see it start to move again with all the people who have arrived in Valencia with their blow-up kiwis, their black jerseys ... it's huge and a defining differential for us."
The corks started popping as soon as Team New Zealand crossed the winning line and the 10-hour party won't be the last in Valencia, a city where sleep is kept to a minimum.
But for the Team NZ crew now, the first priority is to catch up on sleep.
"They are all pretty exhausted and looking for a couple of days rest, maybe relaxing with their families on the beach," said one guest. "The competition has been gruelling, tough on body and mind, and they've earned the break."
