Spectator fleet dwindled as City of Sails lost its puff

By WAYNE THOMPSON

Auckland's reputation for being able to turn out the world's biggest spectator fleet for top yachting events has been dented.

Official figures show the America's Cup regatta this summer attracted 25 per cent fewer spectator craft than the 1999-2000 event.

The numbers indicate the ranks also started to thin in the later stages of the Louis Vuitton challengers series, with 75 per cent fewer pleasure vessels bobbing around the Hauraki Gulf course for the semifinals.

Boaties' waning interest was a relief for harbour safety agencies who based their preparations on previous regattas and expected up to 3000 boats on the big days.

Those numbers were only seen for the first America's Cup race.

Auckland Harbourmaster James McPetrie confirmed the spectator fleet was markedly smaller on most days.

Possible turn offs were the overall length of the regattas, long periods between competition phases, the early departure of most overseas teams, lack of racing in the post-Christmas period and unrealistic parameters for sailing.

Mr McPetrie said 6380 craft were counted during the five America's Cup races, compared with 8550 for the previous regatta.

Race one, held on a Saturday but in choppy waters, was watched by 3500 craft, which was about 1500 more than previously.

But after Team New Zealand lost the opener the fleet halved for race two on the following day.

By race four, after racing had been delayed 10 days due to unfavourable conditions, only 360 boats set out, compared with the 3000 craft that had watched the corresponding tussle between Prada and Team NZ two years earlier.

A paltry 430 boats ventured out for the final race compared with 1250 for the last regatta finale.

The Louis Vuitton series attracted a total of between 1600 and 1800 boats, about 36 per cent down on 1999.

As for other hosts of the America's Cup regatta, in San Diego in 1995, the spectator fleet peaked at 700 craft and at Fremantle in 1987 it barely rose above 700.

Mr McPetrie said the America's Cup regatta in Auckland was well controlled with a high standard of commonsense and safety displayed by spectator boats.

The Auckland Regional Council had three patrol craft in action during races after Christmas, the police operated 11 craft, and the Navy deployed one if its patrol boats and two smaller craft.

The head of the police maritime unit, Senior Sergeant Martin Paget, said that on race days with fewer spectator craft police reduced the number of patrol craft on the water.

Public safety was the prime concern of the unit and he said no real problems were caused by boatie behaviour.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup