KEY POINTS:
It will be sailing ability rather than technology put to the test over the next two weeks for the 10 international teams assembled in Auckland for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.
The regatta, which gets under way on the Waitemata Harbour today with the first round robin stage, has attracted what organiser Bruno Trouble regards as the finest collection of competition sailors ever to grace Auckland shores.
And these sailors have been dealt the ultimate leveller.
Under the unique format of the Louis Vuitton regatta, teams will take part in a series of match races in almost identical boats. It means the team with the best strategy and crew-work to back it up will win.
But with Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW Oracle Racing supplying the boats for the regatta, some may argue the two teams will have a distinct advantage over the rest of the field.
However, BMWOracle skipper Russell Coutts thinks the opposite will be true.
"I actually think it's going to make some of these other teams more competitive. Because if you think about it, in the America's Cup perhaps some of these teams were disadvantaged by their technology not being as good - that's not going to be the case this time. And I don't think it's going to take some of these teams very long before they are up to speed in the water."
Along with racing in evenly-matched boats, the course design will place further emphasis on crew work. With the courses relatively short, Team New Zealand chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge said there would be little opportunity for passing.
"The courses are cramped and tight to say the least," said Shoebridge
"Because we're trying to stay in the inner harbour to give the public and the spectators as good a view as possible, we're sailing on a course that's between 1.4 and 1.6 miles long, instead of more like 3.1 or 3.3 that you normally see these boats sailing.
"There'll be a lot of focus on crew work and starting with that format, but I think it's going to be very successful."
With as many as five races scheduled each day on the Waitemata Harbour, requiring 10 crews to swap on and off four boats, the regatta is set to be a stern logistical test for the organisers.
As hosts, Team New Zealand have been providing a great deal of the resource and infrastructure to ensure the event is a success.
Shoebridge admits it has been a major undertaking for the shore crew.
"Really just the logistics is something that we haven't seen before. When you've got 10 teams and only four boats and 200 crew going in and out off the water all day, it's like herding cats a little bit with all the chase boats and transfers that have to happen, but it's all going pretty nicely"
DEAN BARKER
The last time Dean Barker did battle with Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth on Auckland waters it was not a happy experience.
It was so bad Barker has tried to tuck it away in the dark recesses of his mind.
"I've sort of forgotten all of 2003," he joked.
Unfortunately for him, most of New Zealand haven't.
Team New Zealand's disastrous America's Cup defence in 2003, in which they suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Coutts' Alinghi crew, was the stuff of sporting nightmares.
Although the team went some way to restoring some pride in New Zealand sailing by winning the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia in 2007 and producing a more creditable performance in the America's Cup final, they still have a long way to go to fully recapture the hearts of Kiwi fans.
Which is where the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series comes in.
Barker said his team are eager to put in a strong showing in the two-week regatta and prove they foot it, and hopefully beat, the best.
"We know we're only as good as our last race, and we lost that, so every time we go out there we've got to try and win," he said.
"We haven't come to this event to come second, we'd definitely like to win, but we're not kidding ourselves about how high the standard is."
And how could you when you're set to go head to head with some of the greatest yachtsmen this country has ever produced in Coutts (BMWOracle) and Butterworth (Alinghi).
Barker has first-hand knowledge of the class of the pair, with both former mentors of his during his early days at Team New Zealand.
Barker served as apprentice to Coutts in Team New Zealand's successful defence of the America's Cup in 2000, and was given the opportunity to steer the black boat to victory in the final race.
Since then, Barker has established a reputation as a world class sailor in his own right, and hopes to prove those credentials over the next two weeks.
"I've got a huge amount of respect for both Russell and Brad, I was very fortunate coming through the ranks of Team New Zealand in the early days to have the opportunity to sail against them and learn from them," he said.
"I have a huge amount of confidence in the sailing team to perform their job well and if we can start the boat well and we have a good plan then we should be able to win races."
While the public's attention will be focused on the three Kiwi sailing greats, Barker is not being fooled into thinking he only has to worry about Coutts and Butterworth.
He believes the field assembled in Auckland is world class.
Team New Zealand are guaranteed a tilt at winning the inaugural Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, with the hosts earning direct entry into the final.
Barker and his crew will take part in round robins one and two, advancing straight to the final, while the remaining teams fight it out for the right to challenge for the trophy.
DEAN BARKER
Skipper, Helmsman Team NZ
Born: 18/04/1973, Auckland
Career highlights:
* 2000 Youngest sailor to steer an America's Cup yacht to victory in the final race of the series against Prada
* 2003 Took over as skipper of Team New Zealand, but failed to defend the America's Cup against Swiss syndicate Alinghi
* 2004 Represented New Zealand at the Athens Olympics in the Finn Class
* 2005 Winner Congressional Cup
* 2006 Runner-up MedCup TP52 Circuit
* 2007 Skippered Team New Zealand to victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup to win the right to challenge for the America's Cup. Lost 5-2 to Alinghi in the final in Valencia
RUSSELL COUTTS
He hasn't been at the helm of an America's Cup yacht in nearly six years, but Russell Coutts is still easily the most successful sailor in the history of the event.
His America's Cup record is unrivalled, having hoisted the Auld Mug on three occasions - two at Team New Zealand and once with Alinghi, over that time amassing 14 wins and zero losses.
Coutts' record could have been even more imposing had he not been sidelined from the 2007 regatta in Valencia.
The two-time ISAF (International Sailing Federation) world sailor of the year was banned from competing in that America's Cup after being axed from Alinghi following a falling-out with former boss Ernesto Bertarelli.
The Swiss pharmaceuticals billionaire then invoked a clause prohibiting Coutts from sailing in the regatta with another team.
Now with American syndicate BMWOracle Racing, Coutts' participation in future America's Cup events is by no means certain.
BMWOracle are engaged in an ugly legal battle with cup holders Alinghi. Should the courts fail to rule in their favour, Oracle will be forced to walk away from the next event.
The present state of play with the America's Cup has only added to the anticipation surrounding Coutts' return to the world of ACC racing.
But if he is feeling any pressure to prove he still has the winning touch, he's not showing it.
The Kiwi sailor expects he'll be a bit rusty in the early stages of the regatta, but hopes to get up to speed fairly quickly.
"It'll take me a little bit to get back in the swing of things. It's been almost six years so I have to be realistic about it," he said. "I'm optimistic. I sailed well last year in a bunch of regattas so I still think I'm sailing okay. It's tough competition as well. I think a lot of these teams will be very good."
The legal dramas between Oracle and Alinghi have added spice to the Louis Vuitton series, with many eagerly awaiting the showdown between the two warring syndicates.
But for Coutts what is going on in the courtroom is irrelevant. His team won't be drawing any extra motivation from the legal dispute.
"We all want to win this regatta, we're all going to be fierce competitors on the water, no doubt about that. And there's no doubt Alinghi will feel satisfied if they win and we'll feel pretty good if we win. And Team New Zealand and all the other teams are going to have the same attitude," he said.
"It's sport, someone is going to win, someone is going to lose - that's what we're all here for."
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is the first time Coutts and his BMWOracle crew have raced together and with their limited preparation for the event, he is pleased with progress.
"I'm surprised how well it is coming together so far. There's obviously a lot of experienced people but even so, when you have this length of time where you haven't been sailing these boats, it's not easy."
RUSSELL COUTTS
Skipper, helmsman BMWOracle Racing
Born: 01/03/1962, Wellington
Career Highlights:
* 1984 Won gold at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in the Finn class
* 1995 Skippered Team New Zealand to a 5-0 "Blackwash" over Team Dennis Conner off San Diego
* 1996 Inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame
* 2000 Skipper of Team New Zealand in their successful defence of the America's Cup
* 2003 Won the America's Cup with Alinghi after defecting to the Swiss syndicate following the 2000 regatta in Auckland
* 2007 World Champion TP52 circuit
* 2008 Winner of the Cagliari RC44 Cup, TP52 Med Cup and Malcesine SLAM Cup
BRAD BUTTERWORTH
There'll be no shortage of teams gunning to take down Brad Butterworth and his Alinghi crew over the course of the next two weeks in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.
That, according to Butterworth, just comes with the territory of being America's Cup holders.
And he would know.
Butterworth has had plenty of opportunity to come to grips with the realities of having the world's oldest sporting prize locked away in the trophy cabinet.
He has won the America's Cup on four occasions, twice with Team New Zealand and twice with Alinghi, including as skipper in 2007.
But since the Valencia regatta, the America's Cup has been paralysed by the ongoing legal battles between Alinghi and BMWOracle.
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is the first opportunity these teams have had to go sailing since the 2007 America's Cup.
But while Butterworth contends every team will be out to beat the cup holders, Alinghi's showdown with BMWOracle Racing is certainly the most highly anticipated, given the continuing feud between the two syndicates.
However, Butterworth is playing down the significance of their impending meeting with the American syndicate skippered by former teammate Russell Coutts.
"I think for sure the public are interested and I think the press will fire it up. But I think it's something that's been generated through the media, more than the crews getting together," said Butterworth.
If the clash between Alinghi and BMWOracle is the most eagerly awaited race of the regatta, then Team New Zealand's rematch with the Swiss is a close second.
The two sides last faced off in finals of the America's Cup in July 2007, which Alinghi won 5-2.
While Butterworth and his crew got the better of Team New Zealand in their last meeting, the Alinghi skipper believes Team New Zealand are the clear favourites to take out the Louis Vuitton series.
"Really, I think Team New Zealand are going to be hard to beat. It's their boats, it's their equipment, it's their regatta. They've got to be the toughest competition," said Butterworth.
While the former Team New Zealand tactician knows he is often painted as a villain in this part of the world, he is enjoying the opportunity to be back competing in Auckland.
And he is full of praise for Louis Vuitton and Team New Zealand for coming up with the initiative.
He said that as organisers are trying to squeeze in more than 50 races in the space of two weeks there is not a lot of room for things to go wrong.
"They're being ambitious and I applaud them for that," said Butterworth.
"It's ambitious to keep those four boats sailing, they're high-tech boats, they've tried to dumb them down a little bit so that they can keep the boats rotating, but that's a big ask."
"The Auckland weather is a big ask - whether too much wind or not enough - and having it inside the harbour here is another big ask."
BRAD BUTTERWORTH
Skipper, tactician Alinghi
Born: 1959, Te Awamutu
Career Highlights:
* 1995 Was part of the Team New Zealand crew that won the America's Cup for the first time
* 2000 Was tactician aboard Team New Zealand in their successful defence of the America's Cup
* 2003 Won his third America's Cup with Alinghi
* 2004 Inducted in to the America's Cup Hall of Fame
* 2007 Led Alinghi's successful defence of the America's Cup in Valencia.
