Team New Zealand celebrates
Skipper Glenn Ashby believes Team New Zealand is stronger and better equipped to race Oracle Team USA for the America’s Cup this time.
The San Francisco meltdown four years ago was like the elephant in the room when Ashby fronted the international media in Bermuda after seeing off Sweden’s Artemis Racing to earn a grudge rematch with Oracle for the Auld Mug, starting on Sunday (NZT).
Oracle came from 8-1 down to beat Team New Zealand in San Francisco and the champion American syndicate haven’t stopped reminding the Kiwis ever since.
It was pretty much the first question Ashby faced, and he produced his usual mix of cheek and commonsense to answer it when he was quizzed how often the team had gone back over that defeat.
‘‘If I had a dollar for every time it’s been talked about I probably wouldn’t be having to sit here to earn a crust,’’ Ashby joked.
‘‘We debriefed heavily after San Francisco and the lessons we learned out of San Francisco have absolutely made us a stronger team going forwards.’’
Ashby felt the commercial fallout from that 2013 had actually hardened the resolve of the team as they battled for survival in this Cup cycle.
‘‘Only a couple of years ago the team was looking down the barrel of having its doors closed.
‘‘For Emirates Team New Zealand, who have been involved in the America’s Cup for such a long period of time, to have that happen would have been a real tragedy,’’ Ashby said.
‘‘A few people got together and managed to keep the doors open and that whole team has effectively been rebuilt from the ground up.
‘‘What has been able to be created is, I think, is a much stronger unit looking back at those lessons, than what we were in the last campaign.’’
Ashby is the only survivor from the San Francisco crew with Team New Zealand investing in a new breed of sailing talent for this cycle, headed by Olympic stars Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
Ashby said they wouldn’t lack for motivation in trying to be just the second New Zealand team to win a challenge for the Cup after the 1995 heroics in San Diego.
The belief in their equipment and innovations, like they had last time with a jump in the foiling department, had them pumped for this opportunity.
‘‘The motivation going forwards is definitely there. We didn’t need much on our side last time to be successful and I think we are in that same position now where we don’t need a lot to go our way to definitely be in the hunt.’’
Asked about Team New Zealand’s incredible consistency with their Cup campaigns dating back to 1987, Ashby laid that success with the work on the design table as much as the country’s proud history of producing world class sailors.
‘‘It’s the passion to be aggressive in design and innovation ... that is what has stood Emirates Team New Zealand apart from the other teams over the years,’’ Ashby, an Australian, said.
’’This campaign has been no different in pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The cycling side of things is just one part of our programme that is different to our opponents.
‘‘But we knew that being in New Zealand sailing by ourselves we had to be aggressive to have a chance of being successful here in Bermuda.’’
"Only a couple of years ago the team was looking down the barrel of having its doors closed ... What has been able to be created is, I think, is a much stronger unit." Glenn Ashby