Yachting: A Spaniard in the NZ works

Marcelino Botin pictured with NZL81 behind him at the team’s Auckland base. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Watching his 10-year-old son tackle the waves off Piha on his surfboard, Marcelino Botin could be excused for visualising two black boats slicing through the water off the coast of Valencia.

As Team New Zealand's principal designer, Botin's job is to rattle up a couple of slick racing machines capable of winning back yachting's greatest prize.

A "foreign" addition to the new-look syndicate, the quietly spoken Botin hails from Spain, the host country of the 2007 event.

He was born and spent the early part of his childhood in Santander, on the north coast of Spain.

A relatively small town by European standards, Santander has a population of about 300,000.

"It is a coastal town with a big bay and lots of sailing all year round," Botin says.

One of six children, he lived in Santander until he was about 12, when the family moved to Madrid.

The Botins are almost royalty in Spain. Marcelino's great grandfather, Emilio, became chairman of the Santander Bank in 1909, a position that has remained in the family ever since.

In 1999, the bank merged with Banco Central Hispano, creating the Santander Central Hispano, now one of the biggest banks in the world.

Botin's uncle, Emilio III, heads the bank and his father, Jaime, is a former chairman of Bankinter.

According to the Forbes website, the Botin family fortune is estimated at US$1.9 billion ($2.67 billion).

But banking isn't exactly Marcelino's cup of tea.

He went to school in Santander and Madrid - "I was pretty average" - then moved to Southampton in England to study naval architecture.

"I have always been interested in technology. When I sailed I was interested in making boats go faster and why they went faster. That is really what led me to this career."

While studying, Botin meet South African Shaun Carkeek and the two teamed up shortly after.

They are now regarded as the leading IMS (International Measurement System) designers in Europe.

Their recent successes include the 17m Grand Soleil Caixa Glacia and sister ship X Sport, and the 12m Grand Soleil Italtel, which were first, second and third in the Mediterranean IMS championships in 2003.

The IMS rule relates to an international handicap system where the speed of a boat is predicted taking into consideration factors such as length and weight. Yachts are then given a rating that evens out the playing field in races.

The America's Cup in Valencia will be Botin's first.

"That is why you do this, to get involved in the America's Cup," he says.

Team New Zealand design co-ordinator Andy Claughton says of Botin: "The boats he designs are very much in the Alinghi style - flat-bottomed, hard-turned bilge, slab-sided - so we saw him as an advocate of that style of boat."

While the IMS rule has few restrictions, the America's Cup Class has strict design specifications. But Botin says the boats that evolved from the IMS rule have many similarities to cup boats.

"In the IMS we are doing very narrow boats like these cup boats ... Just by coincidence, I guess, boats that turn out to be competitive in the IMS have certain similarities to what we do here. "

Two years from the start of the challenger series, Botin says his time of late has been spent experimenting with hull shapes and trying them out in the tanking-testing facilities in Britain.

With few changes to the cup class rule, which the defender is free to alter after each event, he does not think there will be huge differences in the boats.

"It is very hard to improve the boats ... It is really just making small improvements in all areas."

But a syndicate is still free to push the envelope, as Team New Zealand did last time with their revolutionary hull appendages.

Without a grey hair in sight, the young Botin says he admires the work of older designers such as Olin Stephens.

"Not really the young ones like [Alinghi's Rolf] Vrolijk and [Oracle's Bruce] Farr ... because I have to fight with them every day," he laughs.

As for returning to his homeland for the big event, Botin is not entirely convinced Valencia is the best choice of venue.

"Valencia is a big city. It would have been nicer if it was held somewhere smaller. But the wind is very good, there is no question about that."

Botin is also not convinced he will have his team-mates fluent in Spanish by 2007.

"It is very hard," he said, resting head in hands.

Botin loves getting out and about with his wife, Maria, and children Marcelino, 10, and Belen, 5.

"They are really happy here. They go to school in Herne Bay. My wife likes it here ... Everyone likes it here."

With the young Marcelino a keen surfer, Botin says they have been to Piha and Raglan.

Not that you will see Botin riding a wave.

"I am far too old for that."   Marcelino Botin

Born: Santander, Spain

Lives: Herne Bay, Auckland

Status: Married to Maria with two children,

Position: Principal designer Emirates Team New Zealand

Career highlights: Success on the World and European IMS circuit