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Dismay as former hero takes Cup
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- New Zealanders suffered a deep emotional blow, losing the America's Cup after eight years, made all the more bitter by the fact that it was one of their former heroes inflicting the pain. The prospect of Dean Barker racing against his mentor and fellow New Zealander Russell Coutts and six other Team New Zealand defectors was seen as a test of national character, and in the end the home team did not measure up. It was a conclusive and comprehensive display of better sailing skills, better tactics, better boat speed and better preparation. The home supporters and many yachting fans around the world had been lulled into the belief that the all-conquering Kiwis could repeat their performance of 1995 and 2000 -- while ignoring the fact that it was Coutts who had delivered those wins. The first shock came when a catalogue of disasters with a snapped boom and damaged forestay sent the New Zealand boat home broken and subdued after just 27 minutes of the first race.
From this early warning of defeat Team New Zealand supporters had to endure two more weeks of weather postponements waiting for the end. When the mast came crashing down in the fourth race, the final result seemed inevitable and there was little solace in the thought that it was Kiwi sailors taking the Cup to Europe for the first time. With hindsight it is possible to see that the reliance on a boat with a radical hull appendage and long bulb keel pushed the design envelope too far and led to too many breakdowns. "Probably we could have afforded to be more conservative in the design," said TNZ syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg. "We didn't have to be the lightest out there," added Schnackenberg, acknowledging the unprecedented number of breakdowns that NZL 82 suffered giving it the worst recorder of a Cup defender in 152 years after failing to complete two out of the five races. After the loss of one third of the winning sailors and designers from the 2000 Team New Zealand, the 2003 team were sensible not to underestimate the potential of Alinghi and skipper Coutts, but maybe a more conservative route would have been a better choice. After trailing Alinghi in five races, losing skipper Barker could only look on the performance of Alinghi with admiration. "They've been phenomenal. They've sailed an incredibly good regatta. In the Louis Vuitton they were totally dominant. As it's turned out they've completely dominated us as well," said Barker. "What can you say, they've put together a faultless performance."
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