Yachting: Team NZ in Barcelona

Team New Zealand is in Barcelona to compete in the TP52 circuit. Photo / Dean Purcell

Sailor Don Cowie will be back on a special patch of water this week when Team New Zealand continue their defence of the MedCup title in Spain.

The third of the TP52 circuit's five regattas is in Barcelona, with competition starting on Thursday (NZ time) and running through to Monday.

It was in the Catalan capital that Cowie and Rod Davis won silver in the Star class at the 1992 Olympics.

"It's very special to be back," Cowie said today.

"Winning a medal is always going to be a highlight of my sailing career, that's for sure."

Cowie, Team NZ's mainsail trimmer, said he last sailed off Barcelona probably in the mid-1990s.

He went back to the city in 2007, taking his wife and children for a visit when he was part of the syndicate's America's Cup challenge in Valencia.

"We wandered down to the Olympic village and I showed Jane and the kids where I slept, where the marina was, where we kept our boats, where the medal ceremony was," Cowie said.

"That was pretty cool."

Davis, as Team NZ's coach, is also in Barcelona, which Cowie described as traditionally a light-air venue.

Winds generally peaked about 12 knots, whereas NZL380 was probably at its best above 14 knots.

"It's probably not our optimum, but we've been working pretty hard on our light-air speed, so we're happy to race in anything," Cowie said.

"If we get eight to 12, or six to 12, we'll set up the boat accordingly and deal with it."

Team NZ head into the regatta with a handy 18.5-point lead over the rest of the 11-strong fleet, and eager to put a disappointing last-up showing behind them.

Skipper Dean Barker and his crew had gone to France last month having won the previous five MedCup regattas going back to their debut campaign last year.

But they were last in the opening race off Marseille and, while they steadily improved, they ran out of chances as the Mistral's high winds forced the last two days to be cancelled.

They found themselves stranded on fourth place, their worst result in their seven MedCup events, as Americans Quantum took top honours.

However, Team NZ's overall lead for the season was trimmed by just 1.5 points, with French-German entry All4One remaining their closest pursuers, one point ahead of Quantum.

Cowie said the MedCup had probably the most competitive keelboat fleet in the world at the moment and one sub-par week hadn't dented confidence.

"If you're going to get your head down about not doing well in one race or coming fourth in a regatta instead of winning it, you may as well pack your bags, because everybody will win races and lose races," he said.

"We're very confident. We'll just go into this regatta and sail as we normally do, and see how we go."

- NZPA