Team NZ hangover in Bermuda kicks in
Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby reckoned ‘‘the beer tastes pretty nice out of that mug’’ as the syndicate nursed a few sore heads the day after winning the America’s Cup.
Emirates Team New Zealand hosted a celebration party at their Bermuda base after beating Oracle Team USA 7-1 on Tuesday to win back the Auld Mug.
Images from inside the team shed revealed classic Kiwi party scenes with singalongs including to the Exponents’ timeless hit Victoria.
Some Oracle crew joined them along with friends, family and sponsors as the Kiwis rejoiced at getting their hands back on the Cup for the first time since 2003.
The sailors had champagne from the Cup in the afternoon as it was handed to them and that was replaced by some team sponsor’s product in the evening.
‘‘It was a very, very special occasion for the whole team and the beer definitely tastes pretty nice out of that mug, that’s for sure,’’ Ashby said yesterday.
‘‘It was an absolute privilege and pleasure to see everyone enjoying the evening as they were last night.
‘‘It was a very, very special moment and something that a lot of people have been working on for a long time, many years in actual fact.’’
Team New Zealand coach Murray Jones, who won the Cup for a sixth time with this victory, was thrilled to see the team soak up the power of sport’s oldest trophy.
‘‘It was awesome for a lot of people.
‘‘They hadn’t touched it before or been that close to it so for most people it was a great moment for them,’’ Jones said.
‘‘I think a few are struggling a little bit after celebrating last night. Everyone is feeling really good and happy.
‘‘It was an awesome atmosphere, people were in a party atmosphere for sure. We were under a lot of stress for a number of days – we were close to winning – people weren’t getting all their sleep. So they let their hair down and everyone had a great time last night.’’
Helmsman Peter Burling said there was also a lot of fatigue after all the hard work that had gone into realising their dream.
‘‘It’s been a massive push from a lot of people to get to this point and a lot of hard work.
‘‘It sunk in a little bit last night. The adrenalin wore off a bit and I think we all realised how tired we were. I think we’re all pretty knackered,’’ Burling said.
Burling was looking forward to bringing the Cup home to New Zealand to share with their fans who had given them so much support during this campaign.
Key members of Team New Zealand are set to leave Bermuda on Sunday and arrive in Auckland on Wednesday and there are plans for a celebration ceremony.
‘‘It was our goal and dream to come here and win the America’s Cup and to have it sitting there and have it in the morning meeting when we all got together after a bit of recovery from last night, we’re just blown away,’’ Burling said.
‘‘To be able to lift that and bring it home to New Zealand, it’s going to be a pretty cool few weeks sharing it with all our fans and friends and family back home.
‘‘We’re really proud of what we have managed to achieve as a group.’’
But there will still be plenty of work for some Team New Zealand staff in Bermuda as they take down the team base there.
Team New Zealand’s winning catamaran Aotearoa, which was air-freighted to Bermuda, will return via a container boat.
It’s unsure what will become of the revolutionary foiling catamaran as new plans are put in place for the 36th edition of the Cup to be hosted in Auckland.
Black Magic, the 1995 breakthrough boat that won New Zealand its first America’s Cup, is housed in Auckland’s Maritime Museum.