America's Cup: Nation hangs on Peter Montgomery's crowning words

Veteran sailing commentator Peter Montgomery in action during the 1995 America's Cup challenge. Photo/Photosport

As Team New Zealand prepare to make sailing history off Bermuda, the voice of the America's Cup is tuning up for one of the biggest calls of his career.

Veteran Radio Sport commentator Peter Montgomery is the man famous for his "The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup" line, when the Kiwis first snatched the Auld Mug off Young America in San Diego 22 years ago.

Over the years, with each ensuing campaign, "PJ" has had to refine that sound bite for each occasion.

Now, with Emirates Team NZ holding match-point against Oracle Team USA (again), Montgomery needs to come up with a new catchphrase ... or is it simply a case of dusting off the one he had up his sleeve, unused, at San Francisco in 2013?

"No, I haven't even thought about it," he told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking. "That's true ... I'll get some advice from you.

"I don't want to go there, I didn't want to jinx it."

Four years ago, you could hear the pain in Montgomery's voice, as he declared "the improbable, the incredible comeback is about to make history ... the America's Cup is still Oracle Team USA's Cup".

He had just witnessed Oracle come back from 8-1 down to retain the trophy 9-8, a memory that still scars a generation of New Zealanders.

"You can't really compare San Francisco 2013 with Bermuda 2017," he told Hosking. "Different boats, different circumstances ... Oracle had a faster boat and Team New Zealand gave them time."

Montgomery conceded Oracle had again emerged from a five-day layoff last week with a faster boat, after shedding almost 100kg, but that had come at a cost of stability.

Tomorrow's winds are expected to be stronger than the past two days, slightly favouring the American syndicate, so we may have to wait a little longer to find out what the master caller comes up with this time.

Catch Peter Montgomery's live commentary, with former Team NZ sailor Craig Monk and Artemis Racing captain Phil Jamieson, on Radio Sport tomorrow, starting 5am.