American Magic CEO and skipper Terry Hutchinson. Photo / Photosport
American Magic CEO and skipper Terry Hutchinson. Photo / Photosport
American Magic is playing a patient waiting game for more of its personnel to be given permission to enter New Zealand.
The syndicate reached a significant milestone on Monday with the arrival of the team's first AC75 'Defiant' into Auckland on the container ship BBC Destiny.
It will be unpackedon Tuesday and assembled over the coming days at the team's Viaduct base. The team now has around 25-30 key people on the ground to get the base and the boat ready for sailing in late July.
While the boat will be ready to go out on the water in three and a half weeks, helmsman Dean Barker, who completes his 14-day quarantine tomorrow, is the only one of the sailing crew currently in the country.
CEO and skipper Terry Hutchinson admitted they are now in a "bit of a holding pattern".
"We've just taken delivery of a bunch of groceries and they are waiting to go inside so that's where we are at," Hutchinson said.
"We remain optimistic and the America's Cup is such a pinnacle event, it's such a critical event, we understand the significance of it for us and certainly for New Zealand when you consider the amount invested and the heart and soul of New Zealand as a country has embraced the America's Cup.
American Magic helmsman Dean Barker. Photo / Phootosport
"We are confident through the coming days we will be in a position of what it looks like to come into the country but in saying that we understand why there has to be restrictions."
Despite the waiting game ahead, Hutchinson was elated by the docking of their first boat.
"What a great milestone for American Magic and our team," Hutchinson said.
"If you think about where we started two and a half years ago, we virtually had nothing, there were a couple of us and a helmsman when we were piecing this thing together, and so to get to this point, to be the first challenger in Auckland, we're proud of everything that we've done to get up to this point."
Hutchinson confirmed the challenger's second boat is close to being completed.
"Boat two has maintained her construction schedule ... right now the plan will be at the end of August she will be on a plane to arrive into Auckland the first week of September so some busy days in front of us but we knew it would be that way," he said.
Hutchinson revealed defender Team New Zealand's first Cup boat, Te Aihe, would be back on the water this week for the first time since January, after being shipped to Italy for the cancelled World Series regatta in April.
"It's exciting even though they are both not going to be sailing tomorrow I have it from a very reliable source within Team New Zealand that their first boat is going to be out on the harbour and Defiant is going to be moved over to our base," he said.
