Meet The Team NZ Crew

AFTERGUARD Peter Burling Helmsman The man in the hot seat, who seems impervious to pressure. In Bermuda, he became the youngest helmsman (aged 26) to win an America’s Cup match, displacing Jimmy Spithill’s record (30) from 2010. Burling could join a select bunch of helmsmen to manage consecutive Cup successes in the modern era (Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts and Spithill) if Team New Zealand retain the Auld Mug. Made his name in fleet racing, with Olympic silver (2012) and gold (2016) in the 49er class alongside Blair Tuke. The Tauranga prodigy has always been talented beyond his years, and as a 17-year-old schoolboy, was the youngest sailing competitor at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Blair Tuke Flight controller Tuke reprises his role from Bermuda, in charge of maximising the stability and efficiency of the boat when foiling. He is constantly adjusting the wing flaps on the foil arms, using a touch screen computer, to keep Te Rehutai flying — and hopefully flying fast.

The 31-year-old provides observations and feedback to Burling during a race and may also be responsible for control of the rudder pitch.

A product of Kawakawa in the Far North, Tuke started sailing as an 11-year-old. His 49er career alongside Burling began in 2008 and the duo joined Team New Zealand in January 2014, after winning the 2013 Youth America’s Cup. Glenn Ashby Trimmer Tends to go under the radar but not within the team. Remains one of the most important signings in Team New Zealand history, as he was key to their transition to the foiling era ahead of the 2013 regatta in San Francisco.

The 43-year-old is responsible for trimming the twin-skinned mainsail and looks after the boat’s set-up before and after transitions.

Ashby provides plenty of tactical input to Burling, and there is no doubting his mana on the boat, demonstrated in the America’s Cup World Series, when his urgent warnings to Burling prevented a highspeed collision between one of their foil arms and a buoy during a mark rounding.