Showdown on Great Sound

HAMILTON: Opposites both on and off the water, New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling and US skipper Jimmy Spithill are set for a showdown which could see the Kiwi pretender wrest the America’s Cup from his rival.

Burling, who at 26 has been the youngest helmsman in the 35th America’s Cup, is the epitome of understatement and outwardly unruffled by going 3-0 up against the US holders in the first phase of the first-to-seven final last weekend.

Thin and gangly, Burling says little while calmly steering Emirates Team New Zealand’s 50foot foiling catamaran at speeds approaching 50 knots (92.6 km per hour).

He does not waste words when dealing with questions from the media onshore, always responding but giving little away.

The contrast with Spithill, known affectionately by some as the ‘pitbull’, could not be starker.

The straight-talking 37-yearold Australian sailor chats constantly with his Oracle Team USA crew while racing on Bermuda’s Great Sound.

Spithill started sailing young and at the age of 20 was named skipper of Young Australia for the 2000 America’s Cup, becoming the youngest helmsman in the history of the event, which is the oldest trophy in international sport.

With years of experience behind him and a confidence which has seen him win the “Auld Mug” twice, Spithill is not afraid of getting into a war of words off the water, with a reputation for making pointed jibes at his opponents.

Both teams were out practising on the water on Thursday, preparing for racing to restart today. Reuters