Yachting: French using black boats to measure competition

They are still black but no longer have the silver fern blazing across them - NZL57 and 60 are now with French syndicate K-Challenge where New Zealand yachtie Cameron Appleton is making sure they are being taken care of.

The syndicate, founded by businessmen Ortwin and Stephan Kandler, bought NZL57 and leased NZL60 to jump start their campaign.

NZL60, the yacht Team New Zealand used to win the 2000 cup defence, has been modified to comply with the new design specifications and will be used in this year's acts (cup pre-regattas) which start in Valencia in a fortnight.

Appleton, who was part of the 2000 and 2003 Team New Zealand campaigns, is the syndicate's sailing manager and a member of the team's afterguard alternating between the helmsman's role on the B-boat and strategist/runner on the A boat.

He admits it is "kind of weird" that the New Zealand boats have joined him in his new challenge.

"I spent a lot of time helping put them together [leading up to the 2000 regatta]. Before this is over I will probably end up having spent more time on them than anyone ... which is a bit strange."

The French syndicate are operating out of the Spanish city of Gandia about 50km south of Valencia.

They will remain there until their base in Valencia is completed in a month or so.

"We have a great facility here ... our apartments, the gym and grocery store are all within three or four blocks ... everything is very close and it is very quiet. It is definitely a different way of life here but where we are we have our own programme going and you get into a rhythm and do what you have to do."

The team have been sailing off Gandia since mid-March with one boat and two boats since the middle of April.

Appleton said it took them just under 30 minutes to launch two boats and be ready for sailing ... "five minutes later we are outside in the open water".

Considerably less time than the hour or so it used to take Team New Zealand to tow out to the Hauraki Gulf.

Like most teams, K-Challenge is multicultural. The team's skipper and helmsman is Frenchman Thierry Peponnet while highly regarded American sailor Dawn Riley is the general manager.

Appleton is the only New Zealander full-time in the sailing team but there are a few more in the boat-building and sail-making teams.

"There is an amazing amount of enthusiasm in the team - some guys are relatively new to the America's Cup and some have been there before.

"It certainly seems strange [not being with Team New Zealand] but I am trying to create an opportunity to work in a team from a different angle and see if we can develop a team from the beginning as opposed to work for a team that is already established.

"It is a different challenge and a different opportunity. At Team New Zealand I knew where I fitted into the team and generally things wouldn't have changed."

K-Challenge finished sixth overall in last year's regattas and Appleton said they would be up against it in this year's regattas sailing a 2000 generation boat.

"Our goal is to see where we stand on sail performance, as a team we want to get our communication going - and just go out there and see exactly where we are not quite there.

"We have got to decide who our real competition are. Obviously Team New Zealand, Prada and Oracle are going to be extremely tough with a lot of new equipment and good boats and then there are the Shosholoza guys who are going to be sailing the first 2007 generation boat.

"The Spanish team and the Swedes are probably going to be a real battle for us so we are going to place ourselves against them and use them as a benchmark to gauge our performance for now."

Cameron Appleton

* Age: 27

* Career highlights:

2005: K-Challenge - sailing manager and member of afterguard.

2000-2003: Team New Zealand, sailing team-traveller in 2000, and back-up helmsman/tactician in 2003.

2003: Australian Winter Etchells Champion.

Other: Several titles in match racing and Etchells.