Yachting: NZ in own 'challenge'

By Suzanne McFadden

Team New Zealand will not be forgotten.

When the America's Cup challenger wannabes finally begin racing this morning, the new defender boats will be slugging it out right next door.

Today the New Zealanders launch NZL60, their second-generation 2000 boat, and straight away they will be sailing it against sister ship NZL57.

Even though four years ago Team New Zealand decided - rightly or wrongly - that they would defend this Cup alone, they will hold their own in-house races to be match-fit for the Cup match in February 2000.

At 6am today, Black Magic tactician Brad Butterworth would have got a phone call from Vince Cooke, who will run racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.

Cooke, an ex-United States Navy Seal, would have chosen which two race courses he wanted on the Hauraki Gulf for today's opening 10 races.

Team New Zealand will get the third course.

This dawn ritual will go on every day of racing, with the challengers and defender having turn-about to choose courses.

Just like the challengers, the serious stuff has now begun for Team NZ.

Butterworth says they have proved their critics wrong.

"People were going around saying we wouldn't have boats in the water until December," he said. We're just a month-and-a-half early."

The race course will probably not be big enough for the black boats today - as they trial they will venture into the outer gulf.

But they will make their presence known as they go.

"We'll have to thread our way through the courses on our way out," Butterworth said.

But they will not be alone.

Even though the challengers will be in the thick of racing, the more affluent syndicates can afford to send observers out to watch Team New Zealand.

The Kiwis know their new boat floats.

NZL60 was dipped into the water outside their compound on Saturday - there were no leaks.

"We have had no problems with NZL57," said Butterworth. "So we're hoping this one will be the same."

Touch carbon-fibre.