Yachting: Coutts tips five super-syndicates for Cup

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Russell Coutts predicts five super-syndicates could come to Auckland in 2002 to create the best-ever America's Cup.

The defected Team New Zealand skipper, who scored a victory in Italy yesterday, has his ear to the ground in Europe as he scouts for crew for his Swiss-based challenge.

His feeling is that big-money syndicates will dominate the battle to find a challenger to sail against his old team.

"It wouldn't surprise me if only four or five really huge super-syndicates came," he said. "Either that, or about 16 challengers and 10 of them are very strong.

"The whole Cup is in a totally different league now. It's going to be fantastic - the best ever."

Coutts yesterday won a matchracing regatta in the northern Italian port of Rimini, featuring a handful of Cup skippers. He beat Young Australia skipper James Spithill 3-0 in the final.

Other skippers at the regatta have been working on their Cup futures. If Coutts' understanding is right, AmericaOne's Paul Cayard, whose next campaign seems to be in limbo, could end up back in Italy.

"He's been here for the last week, and a guy just came up to him and offered him enough money to do a whole campaign for Italy," Coutts said.

"The America's Cup is bigger in Italy at the moment than in New Zealand, honestly. Prada's performance last time has done so much for the event."

Coutts also predicted that the new Swedish syndicate out of Gothenburg would be big players.

"They are well-funded. They bought NZL38 from Team New Zealand, so they are very serious."

Cup legend Dennis Conner has been a spectator in Rimini for the past week, wearing an ear-to-ear grin after signing up for a challenge with his old partner, the New York Yacht Club, after going separate ways for the past 17 years.

"DC is the most enthusiastic I have seen him for years," Coutts said. "That's got to be dangerous."

So far, 10 syndicates have voiced their intention to challenge in 2002, but only Prada, the Challenger of Record, has officially entered.

Coutts' crew in Rimini were his old Team New Zealand mates Murray Jones, Simon Daubney and Warwick Fleury, who will join him and tactician Brad Butterworth in the Swiss challenge.

The challengers' series will start in October 2002 and the match regatta with Team New Zealand will likely be held in February-March 2003.

Team NZ: who's in, who's out

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