Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton will wait until after this year's America's Cup before beginning the "money hunt" for the next Volvo Ocean Race.

The first of the off-water battles in 2013 has begun in the America's Cup, with Team NZ and Oracle in an unofficial race to get back on the water, writes Dana Johannsen.

Team NZ will boycott most of next year's America's Cup pre-regattas. Grant Dalton believes they are an unnecessary distraction when they should be focusing on sailing their AC72 - the boat the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup will be contested in.

Just hours after wrapping up their World Series regatta in San Francisco, Team NZ was on a plane home last night hoping to be back out on the water tomorrow.