Emirates Team New Zealand Reclaim America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand have won the America’s Cup following their victory over Oracle USA. The Kiwi team “and its crew of young newcomers finished off a surprisingly lopsided 7-1 victory to reclaim the America’s Cup after a 14-year wait,” writes Christopher Clarey in an article for The New York Times.

“It was a day of redemption for the Kiwis, who blew a seemingly insurmountable 8-1 lead against Oracle in the last America’s Cup, in 2013, by losing eight consecutive races in San Francisco.”

“A few years ago, it was absolutely brutal for the team, and it was a hard pill to swallow,” said Glenn Ashby, Team New Zealand’s skipper, who is the only member of the losing 2013 Kiwi team on this year’s crew.

“For the sailors and all the other guys who are with the team, it is a great redemption, and I guess a relief to right the wrongs of the last campaign.”

“It is just unreal. It is exactly what we came here for. We are on top of the world. It has been three years of hard work. I don’t think we would be out here without the heartbreak of San Francisco,” said 26-year-old Peter Burling, as reported in The Guardian.

“To survive and remain in the game, Team New Zealand and its chief executive, Grant Dalton, had to overcome existential challenges, including internal divisions and an early shortage of financing.” That included the decision to “use stationary bike grinding stations on board instead of the usual arm-powered pedestals.”

“The team also had to navigate the contentious transition from the popular veteran helmsman Dean Barker to the 26-year-old Peter Burling,” reports the article.

“Oracle, which represents the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, had the option to defend the Cup in home waters again this year,” but “Ellison and Russell Coutts, a New Zealander and former Oracle skipper, decided to take the financial guarantees on the offer in Bermuda, a tiny British overseas territory in the mid-Atlantic.”

The trophy “will now remain overseas with Team New Zealand expected to defend the America’s Cup in Auckland, the country’s largest city, which was also the venue for the Cup in 2000 and 2003.”

Article Source: New York Times, Christopher Clarey, June 26, 2017

Image Source: Twitter – Emirates Team New Zealand