Raw crew hold hopes of the nation

By JULIE ASH

A new-look Team New Zealand crew will hold the hopes of the nation when the America's Cup match starts on Saturday.

Of the sailors who defended the cup in 2000, six of the regular crew are sailing for Alinghi and just three for Team New Zealand.

Although history shows the America's Cup is almost always won on boat speed, if the boats are relatively even, then crew work will be the difference between winning and losing.

The relatively inexperienced Team New Zealand crew are up against an Alinghi team who barely put a foot wrong throughout the challenger series.

Along with former Team New Zealand regulars Russell Coutts, Brad Butterworth, Simon Daubney, Murray Jones, Warwick Fleury and Dean Phipps, the Alinghi team also include triple Olympic gold medallist Jochen Schuemann, two-times America's Cup winner John Barnitt, and Josh Belsky, who won the cup with America3.

Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker with one cup race under his belt, are nowhere near as experienced.

In fact, many of Team New Zealand's 36-strong sailing crew have yet to compete in an America's Cup race.

Eight in the present Team New Zealand team sailed against Prada in the last cup, but just bowman Joey Allen, mainsheet trimmer Tony Rae and runner/pitman Barry McKay were regulars on the boat.

Barker, grinder Chris Ward, trimmer Grant Loretz and navigators Mike Drummond and Tom Schnackenberg all sailed at some stage during that regatta.

Schnackenberg, Team New Zealand's syndicate head, is confident that whichever 15 sailors Barker chooses, will be capable of doing the job.

"We believe the whole squad is capable of forming two A crews, and any one of them could give a good account of themselves in the America's Cup," he said.

Team New Zealand will not announce their crew until the morning of the match. However, it is expected Barker, Hamish Pepper, Peter Evans and Mike Drummond will be the afterguard.

Long-time Team New Zealand sailor Tony Rae should be named as mainsail trimmer, while Australian Adam Beashel, who sailed with OneAustralia in 1995, could be named as mainsail traveller over Dan Slater.

Loretz, who sailed against Prada in the last cup, is almost certain to be named as a trimmer, with perhaps James Dagg or Daniel Fong.

Former Olympic champion rower Rob Waddell, Jonathan Macbeth, Chris McAsey, Ian Baker and Joe Spooner are Team New Zealand's grinding options.

Ward could cover the position of runner/grinder, leaving the door open for either Macbeth and Waddell, or Macbeth and Baker as primary grinders.

The bowman position will go to either Jeremy Lomas or Richard Meacham, while Matthew Mitchell, who was also part of the OneAustralia campaign, could win the mid-bowman spot.

Veteran Joey Allen has spent much of this campaign working with up-and-coming bowmen, but he could be an option if Barker feels he needs more experience up front.

Nick Heron has been part of every Team New Zealand campaign since 1988 and will probably be named as mastman, while Barry McKay and either Jared Henderson, Erle Williams or Winston McFarlane will run the pit.

"It is just about combinations that work well together," Schnackenberg said.

The match almost resembles a hit-out between Team New Zealand's A and B boats from the last campaign, where it is understood Barker and Pepper were as successful as Coutts and Butterworth on the A boat.

"This group of people in our sailing squad are a new generation in a lot of respects. But we certainly don't feel scared to go out and race against any of the teams," Barker said.

"We come into this a bit green to open competition, but at the same time we have had some fantastic in-house racing ourselves.

"We don't expect to go out and win 5-0. I don't think either team would. If we came out of it 5-4 we would be rapt."

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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