Rice and pushbikes power young team

By Nick Perry

While other America's Cup teams are arriving in Auckland armed with bags of cash, the Australians have come with nothing but bags of rice.

Veteran racer Syd Fischer has cobbled together a challenge with a minuscule budget - one-hundredth the size of the $120 million Italian Prada challenge.

Last night, the Young Australia 2000 team, after wangling a free flight across the Tasman with an Argentine airline, tucked in to a plain meal of ravioli and garlic sauce at the Railway Campus, the budget downtown accommodation they share with students.

The team's chef and nutritionist, Jeff Moroney, says there is plenty of rice after they struck a deal with distributors. But sponsorship for much-needed meat is still at a delicate stage.

The crew will be powering their way around Auckland on pushbikes. After borrowing bikes from Adventure Cycles yesterday, they are on the hunt for cheap second-hand models.

Sailor Ed Smyth, originally from Auckland, has commandeered his mum's car to transport equipment around. He is getting a $600 "rust bucket" fixed up to use as a more permanent team vehicle.

Andy Fethers says the crew, mainly aged between 18 and 24, felt that after sanding, painting and refurbishing their boat they knew it inside out.

But they have yet to sail in the finished vessel. It arrives in two days, but they have still to finalise a berth for it in the Viaduct Basin. Racing starts in less than a month.

The boat, with some modifications, is the same as that used in an unsuccessful cup challenge in San Diego four years ago.

Team mentor Andrew Crowe says it has been hard to interest Australian sponsors in the cup, with most money going into the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He hopes the experience will prepare the young crew for a more serious challenge in four years.

"But I think we will give a few guys a fright, and win some races."