Grey Cup volunteers sought

By Suzanne McFadden

Pensioner power is being rallied to help to hold the stopwatch, fly the flags and lay the marks for the America's Cup regatta.

Up to 200 unpaid volunteers are being hunted to help to stage the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series for five months from October.

In San Diego in 1995, the average age of volunteers was 62. Over 95 per cent of them worked on every one of the 70 practice and race days.

But no one, of any age, will be expected to turn out every day in Auckland.

America's Cup Challengers Association spokeswoman Heather Pike said the minimum time commitment would be one round robin - about 16 days.

Volunteers with their own boats will be warmly welcomed. The ACCA has to provide patrol boats to keep spectator craft out of the two race courses. The owners will be reimbursed for boat expenses.

"It's going to need an enormous effort," Pike said. "At any given time we will need 150 people out on the water, and people working on the on-shore logistics."

Commodores of local yacht clubs are being sent letters inviting volunteers to put their names forward.

Meanwhile, one of the famous names in the history of the Auld Mug will bring the America's Cup Hall of Fame to New Zealand next year.

Halsey Herreshoff was in Auckland yesterday scouting for a venue for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in February 2000.

Herreshoff's grandfather, Nathanael, was one of the world's most celebrated yacht designers, drawing up six successful Cup defenders from 1893 to 1920.

Halsey Herreshoff later sailed in four winning defences.

Halsey now runs the America's Cup Hall of Fame in the Herreshoff Marine Museum, in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Auckland will be the first time an induction ceremony has been held outside the United States.

Three yachting legends will be added to the list in Auckland on February 15.

Herreshoff plans to bring cup artefacts from his museum for the ceremony.