Volunteers will take hot seats in umpiring fleet

By Louisa Cleave

Who could forget the feeling of euphoria when Team New Zealand won the America's Cup, then brought it home in a parade down Queen St?

For more than 200 people, remembering that feeling of national pride is not enough. They have volunteered to play their part in what they hope will be a second victory.

Among them is Mike Alison who, as one of the official umpires in the Louis Vuitton Cup, will be as close to the yachts on the water as you can get.

He is one of the 150 volunteers helping with the running of the challenger series, starting a week from today.

Alison will shadow the challenger yachts as one of the two umpires on boat seven, signalling to the crews any decisions on penalties or giving them the all-clear.

Being that close to the action has meant Alison has had to refuse requests from friends who want to tag along.

"It will be a huge adrenalin rush, but at the same time we have to concentrate because you have been given a task to do and there is a lot of responsibility there."

Alison, aged 43, has had yachting in his blood since his parents placed his bassinet in the bow of their boat.

He learned to sail at nine and has never given it up.

In 1979, he was part of the New Zealand Southern Cross team as bowman on the Bruce Farr-designed yacht Chick-Chack.

He headed overseas a year later and spent the next 15 years sailing professionally in England and America.

Alison estimates he has clocked up 100,000 miles "criss-crossing the oceans" and among his achievements have been two Hobart-to-Sydney challenges and five Newport-to-Bermuda races.

It was in the heartland of American yachting, Newport, Rhode Island, that Alison lived with his yachting competitor wife Betsy Alison and became involved in race management.

"That allowed me to contribute something back to the sport at the same time as enjoying the socialising afterwards as husband and wife."

Alison came back to New Zealand four years ago and works in the telecommunications business while continuing his passion for yacht racing with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on weekends.

He and the other volunteers - many retirees but also some who have shuffled their work schedules and a couple of school leavers - have been hard at work on the water, rehearsing the roles they will play in the challenger series.

The range of jobs is vast but none less important than any other in making sure the races are run by the book.

The volunteers were chosen from several hundred people who offered their time or boats - in some cases both - for the Louis Vuitton series.

Heather Pike of the America's Cup Challenger Association, which runs the Louis Vuitton Cup, said: "They had to have a willingness to learn their part, work together as a team and have the luxury of time to do that."

Most of the volunteers have boating experience, although that was not essential.

Being available for all the races was the first priority, and then came learning the ropes and working as a team, she said.

When the Louis Vuitton Cup volunteers complete their duties it will be time for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron to take over.

The squadron has been preparing its racing officials for three years to handle the America's Cup matches next year.

Harold Bennett, principal race officer, has seconded 23 officials to the race management team to control the racing. A further 50 people will share policing duties on 25 official patrol boats.

The volunteer squadron members ha taken time off work to be a part of the event, he said.

"For some of these people it might be the only time they see the America's Cup racing and they want to be involved."