Southern Spars boat builders Paul Morris, Brendan Jones and Robert Howatson stand in Auckland's Viaduct after the win of the Americas cup by Emirates Team New Zealand. Photo / Nick Reed
The team who built the winning Emirates Team New Zealand yacht had their "hearts in their mouths" as they watched it cross the finish line.
Southern Spars supervisor Robert Howatson said the Avondale-based boatbuilders who laboured over the boat for hundreds of hours were filled with pride to see it
win the race.
It took 18 months or 50,000 hours to build the boat. The boat, wing and daggerboards were made by separate teams, Howatson said.
"It was an awesome race but also pretty clinical. They were ready from the start.
"Make no mistakes, that's how you win races."
Southern Spars team leader Brendan Jones said he couldn't celebrate until the boat had crossed the finish line.
"Definitely having built it you feel more attached to it.
"The design they came up with seemed to do the trick."
Southern Spars were commissioned to build the 15m hulls, bows, two 23.6m wing sails, and a set of the all-important hydrofoils for "the most complex and technologically advanced yacht ever launched in New Zealand".
Team New Zealand claimed the America's Cup for a third time today after securing a 7-1 series victory over holders Oracle Team USA.
It was a remarkable turnaround for the Auckland-based syndicate, which suffered a defeat at the last regatta in 2013, giving up an 8-1 lead over Oracle in the process.
Howatson believed the unconventional foil shape had been the "kingpin" for their success as it allowed the boat to operate in a wider range of wind conditions.
Another key to their success was the use of cyclists rather than traditional hand-cranked grinding, which allowed more hydraulic pressure to be kept on. Howatson said cyclists had a better recovery time and they tended to be lighter than hand-grinders.
"Their hearts were probably beating less than mine right now."
Howatson has worked with at least three America's Cups but said this one was definitely the most nerve-racking.
"I know more people at the water's edge and they're a good bunch of lads."
