Burling back at helm for TNZ

Peter Burling will be Team New Zealand’s skipper for the next America’s Cup.

Veteran team member Ray Davies confirmed Burling’s role for the 2021 event in Auckland in a video interview.

‘‘We have [signed him]. He is going to be the skipper,’’ Davies said.

‘‘We’re looking forward to rebuilding from what we had in Bermuda and obviously we’ve got to take it to another level again, and we’re very excited about the sailing team we have.’’

While Burling was helmsman for Team NZ last year, when they beat Oracle in Bermuda to claim the Cup, a role that usually goes hand-in-hand with being skipper, that duty fell instead to Australian wing trimmer Glenn Ashby.

Burling’s appointment as skipper will mean a change of role for Ashby, who told Italian newspaper La Stampa in February that he wanted to stay with Team NZ, who have had him on retainer since the end of last year’s event.

‘‘My roots here in New Zealand are very deep, they have consolidated over the past seven to eight years. I can count on very close links,’’ Ashby said, while considering the prospect of an entry from his home country.

‘‘That said, it would be great to see an Australian team, as well as other teams, in the field. What would I do? I repeat, my relationship with Team New Zealand is very strong and I cannot wait to be able to defend the Cup in New Zealand.’’

Davies said in the interview that Team NZ has more than half its team assembled.

‘‘We’ve got a few key guys that are helping with the design and then well build on that as it comes closer to the time.’’

Burling is currently involved in the Volvo Ocean Race, sailing for Team Brunel.