People power pushes challenge

By JULIE ASH

Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton believes people more than money are the key to claiming back yachting's greatest prize.

With 70 people secured Dalton is confident he has the right team to win back the America's Cup.

"We have a team that is more experienced and is more international in its make-up," Dalton said this week.

"In almost every instance the people we wanted signed with us despite competitive offers."

Of the 26 sailors so far secured, just over half remain from last year's defence while the design team headed by Britain's Andy Claughton now includes Spain's Marcelino Botin and Italian Giovanni Belgrano.

"I think overall the team is very good," said Yachting New Zealand selector and coach Grant Beck.

"They have a very good mix and they are obviously leaving themselves time and the opportunity to select more as they see fit in the next couple of years."

The afterguard takes on a completely new look with just skipper Dean Barker and Australian Adam Beashel remaining from the disastrous 2003 campaign.

New to the team is highly regarded British sailor Ben Ainslie, American Kevin Hall, former Stars and Stripes tactician Terry Hutchinson and experienced cup sailor Rod Davis.

New Zealanders Kelvin Harrap and Ray Davies, also join the brains trust.

"All those people in their individual rights are very talented people but how you actually make a good combination to match the likes of [Russell] Coutts and [Brad] Butterworth ... I don't know," said David Barnes, former general manager of GBR challenge.

"But I am sure they have got ideas of how to put it together."

While long-standing afterguard combinations like Coutts and Butterworth and Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes group have been successful in the past, new multi-national afterguards are common.

"You could put an afterguard together in the last six months and win the America's Cup," Beck said.

"Dalton has chosen some clever people who have a lot of potential ... I think they have some of the most talented young yachtsmen in the world in there."

Beck said it was impossible to gauge how good the new afterguard would be.

"I imagine that Dalton will be looking for the team to form itself," he said.

Barnes said the appointment of a strong leader "on the water" was crucial.

"There is nobody that pops out of there as the obvious choice.

"You have got people who are good tacticians, a good starting helmsman and so on ... but you actually have to have someone that is responsible for taking leadership on the water which is something Team New Zealand let themselves down badly with last time."

While Beck thought there would have been more changes in the sailing crew, Barnes said Alinghi and Oracle had already snapped up a lot of the "good people".

"There are a lot of good sailors out there but to actually put together a really good team once those other teams take the pickings starts to get hard."

How the contenders line up

THE DEFENDER

Alinghi

Yacht Club: Societe Nautique de Geneve

Country: Switzerland

Estimated budget: $170-$190 million

Syndicate head: Ernesto Bertarelli

Skipper/helmsman: Russell Coutts, Peter Holmberg, Jochen Schuemann

Designers: Rolf Vrolijk, Grant Simmer

Afterguard: Brad Butterworth, Murray Jones, Juan Vila, Ernesto Bertarelli

New Zealand sailors: Coutts, Butterworth, Jones, Simon Daubney, Dean Phipps, Warwick Fleury, Matt Mitchell, Rodney Ardern, Richard Bouzaid, Mike Drummond

THE CHALLENGERS SO FAR

* BMW Oracle Racing

Estimated budget: At least $200 million

Yacht Club: Golden Gate Yacht Club

Country: USA

Syndicate head: Larry Ellison

CEO and skipper: Chris Dickson

Designer: BMW ORACLE Racing Design Team, which incorporates Bruce Farr Yacht Design

Afterguard: John Kostecki, Gavin Brady

New Zealand sailors: Ian Baker, Stuart Bettany, Gavin Brady, David Brooke, Sean Clarkson, Chris Dickson, Jamie Gale, John Gundersen, Ross Halcrow, Zac Hurst, Phil Jameson, Craig Monk, Robbie Naismith, Joe Spooner, Brad Webb, Carl Williams

* + 39 (formerly Clan Des Team)

Yacht Club: Circolo Vela Gargnano

Country: Italy

Estimated budget: unknown

Syndicate head: Lorenzo Rizzardi

Skipper: Luca Devoti

Designer: Giovanni Ciccarelli

Afterguard: Iain Percy (helmsman)

* Team Shosholoza

Yacht Club: Royal Cape Yacht Club

Country: Republic of South Africa

Estimated budget: $50 million

President: Mafika Mkwanazi

Managing director: Salvatore Sarno

Skipper: Geoff Meek

Designer: Jason Ker

* Emirates Team New Zealand

Yacht club: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

Country: New Zealand

Estimated budget: $130-$150 million.

Syndicate Head: Grant Dalton.

Skipper: Dean Barker

Afterguard: Barker, Ben Ainslie (Britain), Adam Beashel (Australian), Terry Hutchinson (USA), Kevin Hall (USA), Kelvin Harrap, Ray Davies, Rod Davis

Design co-ordinator: Andy Claughton

ANNOUNCED CHALLENGES Signings not confirmed

* Prada

Yacht Club: Punta Ala

Country: Italy

Syndicate head: Patrizio Bertelli

Skipper: Francesco de Angelis

Designers: Bruce Nelson

Afterguard: de Angelis, James Spithill

* K-Yachting

Country: France

Syndicate head: Stephane Kandler

Skipper: Thierry Peponnet

Team manager: Dawn Riley

Design co-ordinator: Dimitri Nicolopoulos

* Le Defi

Country: France

Operations manager: Luc Gelluseau

Afterguard: Philippe Presti, Philippe Mourniac, Pierre Mas

* Mascalzone Latino

Country: Italy

Syndicate head: Vincenzo Onorato

Afterguard: John Cutler

* GBR Challenge

Country: Great Britain

Syndicate head: Peter Harrison

Operations manager: Gordon Moultrie

Afterguard: Ian Walker, Adrian Beadsworth

* OZ Boys Challenge

Country: Australia

Syndicate heads: Sebastien Destremau and Philip Edmiston

Skipper: Michael Dunstan

* Toscana Challenge

Country: Italy

Syndicate heads: Gualtiero Pantani and Stefano Ghelli


Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup