KEY POINTS:
VALENCIA - New Zealand slumped into national depression when Swiss syndicate Alinghi snatched the America's Cup from them four years ago.
Freak weather, a bad boat, inexperience and a crisis of confidence whipped up disaster in the Hauraki Gulf for the team that had gloried in winning sailing's oldest prize in 1995 and 2000.
The fact that Alinghi, who won 5-0, was sailed by a group of Kiwis who swapped sides after 2000 made that defeat all the more painful.
Now, an older, wiser and better New Zealand is preparing for a rematch to win the Cup back.
Two main problems were highlighted in 2003 -- a lack of clear management after the Alinghi defection and design faults which forced NZL82 to pull out of two races with a snapped mast and broken gears when she took on gallons of water.
The breakages drubbed the confidence of the new, young afterguard, who were also spooked by weird weather off Auckland.
New Zealand hired seven times round-the-world champion Grant Dalton to run a challenge to bring the Cup back and put him in charge of everything from the sailing team, to boat design and sponsorship deals.
Dalton, 47, quickly re-signed staff like helmsman Dean Barker and built back their confidence, training with them not as skipper but as grinder, the most tiring, sweaty job on board.
He also hired older America's Cup veterans to help the team prepare.
"His attention to detail is incredible ... his drive, determination and crew work," said Barker, 34.
New Zealand won the 2004 and 2006 warm-up seasons and are now much stronger psychologically and physically, brushing off losses and handling their boat beautifully.
A new inter-Cup racing format also gave New Zealand time to work on boat design and NZL92 is now one of the fastest yachts on the water, speeding past Luna Rossa 5-0 to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and the right to race Alinghi for the America's Cup.
The Kiwi crew is now better trained, the afterguard older and wiser, the weather team one of the best in Valencia and the boat fast.
But all that will be put severely to the test against Alinghi who have about 60 sailors to draw from, a huge budget backed by billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and a training boat that blew the others out of the water in an April regatta.
"You could call it a rematch or you could just say these are the two best teams left in the cup at this stage," said Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth.
"I think the fastest boat will win."
The first race of the best-of-nine series is on June 23.
- REUTERS
