KEY POINTS:
Sailor Tony Rae is going into his sixth America's Cup with unfinished business on his mind.
Rae knows all about the ups and downs of fighting it out for the Auld Mug.
He is the most experienced member of Team New Zealand's sailing crew and the only one
who can trace his cup career back to New Zealand's debut effort in Western Australia in 1986-7.
Bar the big boat-versus-catamaran mismatch in 1988, he has been in a New Zealand syndicate at every cup regatta since, including the triumphant 1995 campaign in San Diego.
But it's the nagging disappointment of the last time around, in Auckland four years ago, that will provide him with the most motivation over the coming months in Spain.
Rae was part of the Team NZ crew whitewashed 5-0 by Swiss challenger Alinghi in early 2003.
To add insult to injury, the defenders failed to finish two of the races because of equipment failure.
"Obviously, it was a huge disappointment for us and I feel I'm still getting over it," Rae said.
"We thought we had a pretty good boat and we were on track, but the way it turned out with the amount of breakages we had -- which was shock to all of us -- was pretty hard to take."
It was one thing to be beaten by a faster boat or by a crew sailing better, but it was something else not to be able to complete the course.
"It felt like we handed it to them on a platter," Rae said.
"This time, it's sort of unfinished business really."
After 21 years, Rae's passion for the America's Cup remains undimmed.
The 45-year-old Aucklander -- whose father, Murray, competed in the Flying Dutchman class at the 1960 Rome Olympics -- is often asked why he keeps coming back for more.
One of the reasons he gives is that each experience is different.
"It's never exactly the same as the last," he said.
"There are different people each time and the teams have got bigger. The boats have changed, the technology has changed and the rules have changed.
"For me, I guess I just enjoy the racing. I love sailing on board and I'm really looking to getting over there and getting started."
In his five previous campaigns, Rae has been in the No 1 crew with the exception of 1995, when he sailed in a number of the challengers' races, but missed out on the cup match itself.
He said helping Team NZ to lift the trophy 12 years ago remained an obvious highlight.
But it was Fremantle, where he was mainsail trimmer on KZ7's stunning run to the challengers' final, that he recalled with the most fondness because of the novelty factor.
"Ninety-five was a lot of fun but, in saying that, it's hard to beat the KZ7 campaign," he said.
"It was so new to all of us and it set a mark in our lives."
Rae remembered that challenge, which was headed by merchant banker (now Sir) Michael Fay, as like being on military service.
"If was so regimented compared with what we had done before as sailors," he said.
"It was an interesting period of time. Everyone had to work very hard and we had no family there. It just seemed like being thrown into the army and a lot of guys didn't hack it."
Fay mounted two further unsuccessful bids for yachting's biggest prize and Rae said subsequent New Zealand efforts owed a debt to him for the foundations he set.
In the countdown to the start of the challengers' series in mid-April, Rae and the rest of the Team NZ's crew are heading to Spain over the course of the coming week.
Their race boats, NZL84 and NZL92, were freighted by air from Auckland last week, and the team's sailing programme in Valencia is due to start on March 5.
- NZPA
