Team New Zealand's Mr Fixit

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Roy Mason won't be seen in any picture of the Team New Zealand mob who begin their defence of the America's Cup tomorrow.

Mason is happy about that, even if he is one of the longest-serving members of the team. Only Mike Drummond, who was in Fremantle, has a longer unbroken stint.

Fifty-five-year-old Mason heads the "team behind the team": the backroom boys, the jacks of all trades whose combined skills keep the black boats in tip-top shape.

Mason has a shore-based team of 15 who work with him. Most have been with him for three years, some are in their second cup campaign.

There is nothing, it seems, this crew can't fix.

"If I had these guys with me out working in the commercial world I would make a fortune," said Mason. "They are an incredibly hard-working group.

"Team New Zealand as a whole is quite amazing. I have never worked with a group who are so energetic and organised.

"This campaign especially has been particularly demanding, but no matter what they have had to do or come up with nobody has ever upset anybody else."

The broken mast suffered early in the campaign was the most visual of the repair jobs confronting Mason and his crew.

"There was no hiding that. Everyone saw it limping up the harbour, but everyone chipped in. We worked closely with the guys at Southern Spars and were ready to go again the next day."

Neville Thorpe, the foreman of the boat-building team, and boat-builder Craig Oxenham were with Mason in San Diego in 1995. They are back, as are many from the 2000 campaign.

Geoff Dunn is the electronics expert; Dave French, Rob Oxenham (no relation) and Andrew Nottage provide the engineering skills; Lance Mason is the rigger; Jason Squire, Geoff Senior, John Russell and Peter Ockleston join Thorpe and Oxenham as the boatbuilders; youngster Andrew Fenwick drives the chase boat and maintains all Team New Zealand chase boats; and Bruce McKay is skipper of the 60ft tender that goes out every time the black boats leave the dock.

Within the group there are those who can turn their hand to fitting and turning, plumbing, electrical work, welding or whatever.

Mason, who joined Team New Zealand on December 3, 1993 after sailing the round-the-world race with Sir Peter Blake on Lion New Zealand in 1985-86, brings his plumbing background to the dock.

"There is not much we can't do," he says modestly. "It is difficult at times to find the money to do all we want to, including rolling the crew over between cups."

Mason was in San Diego in 1995 and among the last to leave after packing nine containers and preparing the yachts, chase boats and a "mountain of gear" for the trip home.

"I've been here since. At times it has its ups and downs. It can be quite demanding when you spend so much time away from your family. We tried to give the guys a break over Christmas, but it didn't work out how we would have liked.

"Something always crops up. If there is an emergency we have to be prepared to work through the night."

For all their hard work, Mason and his lot rarely get to see the on-water action. Instead, they remain ashore waiting to hear from those on the boats and prepare for any work that might need attention.

"If anything needs repairing we will hear about it as they come back in. We just have to be ready to fix it."

Mason's team is, understandably, confident that their work and attention to detail will lead to the result they want when racing begins.

After all, losing the cup could cost him and his mates their jobs. They don't want that.


nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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