Yachting: Cayard backs Team NZ

By Suzanne McFadden

If the match for the America's Cup were raced tomorrow, Paul Cayard reckons Team New Zealand would win.

No doubt about it.

Wouldn't put a dollar on himself.

Of course when it comes to the real thing in February 2000, and if Cayard's AmericaOne is the challenger to face Team New Zealand's defence, you would hear a different story.

Three days from the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series, Cayard is comfortable with the tag of favourite.

But he doesn't necessarily think he will be No 1 at the end of round robin one.

"I feel pretty good," he said.

"I think we have everything we need to win, but I don't think everything is assembled the way it needs to be to win the America's Cup.

"Honestly I believe we are a notch below Prada and Team New Zealand right now.

"Humbly I believe if the America's Cup were sailed tomorrow, Team New Zealand would win.

"If I'm wrong, it would be pleasant news. But I'm approaching it that way."

With the new breed of cup boats lacking any history, it is tough to pick who will come out on top.

But AmericaOne is seen as one of the strongest challengers in the pack of 11.

A lot of that comes from Cayard's track record - finalist in the last two America's Cup matches.

But he has raised eyebrows in Auckland by turning up to the startline with just one boat - the other still in the construction yard in California.

When USA61 arrives here next month, there won't be a lot of time for the team to discover if it is a fast boat.

In the meantime, the onus is on USA49 to set up AmericaOne with some early wins. Cayard isn't too concerned about round robin one, where a win equals one point.

"What's important is that you have a boat that will win in January and February," he said.

"And we have a boat that's capable of winning and we've got a strong team who can pull this off."

The secret, Cayard says, is absorbing from everyone else - which could give the challenger an advantage over Team New Zealand.

"In the challenger series, the resource pool is huge.

"There are 15 or 16 different boats, 25 different mast designs, hundreds of sails," he said.

"In this game it's the team that can learn well from observing the others and assimilates as many of the good traits and characteristics which expose themselves over the next three months."

Obviously you have to have the cash to go out and make a new mast or sail.

Cayard looks over at his neighbours, the Italian Prada campaign, and sees himself eight years ago.

"When I was with the Il Moro campaign in '92, we were like Prada is now.

"We had all the money, were on the leading edge of rigging and sail innovation - and people were just watching and learning from us. Now the shoe's on the other foot," he said.

Cayard has had time to check out the opposition in practice racing on the gulf course in the past week, and he's happy with his first boat so far.

"When we scrimmaged with some of the others we won fairly easily, but the top guys didn't get into it," he said.

"I'm expecting we'll be strong in the early days - we will be one of the top teams."

Is he okay wearing a "favourite" cap?

"I went into the Whitbread as a 20-1 underdog and won.

"The fact is I've been in the finals the last two times, we've got John Kostecki who's a damn good sailor and [designer] Bruce Nelson has been in the game a long time.

"Americans have inevitably done well in this event. But it all goes out with the washing starting October 18."