NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Sailing / America's Cup

Dana Johannsen: Few clues to how America's Cup contenders rate

Dana Johannsen
By Dana Johannsen
Reporter·NZ Herald·
6 Feb, 2013 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The time for boat development is fast running out. There will be minor tweaks and modifications in the coming months, but essentially what they have is what they've got. File photo / Supplied

The time for boat development is fast running out. There will be minor tweaks and modifications in the coming months, but essentially what they have is what they've got. File photo / Supplied

Dana Johannsen
Opinion by Dana Johannsen
Sports writer
Learn more
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This week marked a curious milestone in the lead-up to the 34th America's Cup.

For the first time in the current Cup cycle, all four teams competing in San Francisco have a boat in the water.

The fact there is just five months to go before the start of the Louis Vuitton Challenger series and only now do we have four boats afloat reflects the complexities of the new AC72 class.

Yet with the exception of Emirates Team New Zealand, we've heard little from the competing teams about the pressures and challenges they have faced over the past 12 months.

Team New Zealand are the most advanced with their AC72 programme. They are the only team to have got through their 30 allowable sail days before the end of January, and the only team to have built a second boat.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yet they remain "incredibly nervous" with where they sit.

The anxiety levels seem to have increased several notches this week at the launch of the second boat, as the July 4 start date looms. The time for boat development is fast running out. There will be minor tweaks and modifications in the coming months, but essentially what they have is what they've got - there is no turning back now.

Given the eye-watering budgets involved, the America's Cup is a tough, high-pressure game at the best of times, but this year's event will likely be Team New Zealand's last roll of the dice for the America's Cup. Their association with the event over a quarter of a century hinges on the reliability of their high-tech catamaran. But the team have been refreshingly open with their campaign, allowing media inside their hangar during the delivery of both boats as well as providing regular progress reports.

There have been video updates and blogs after every sailing day. At times you can look on the America's Cup website and all the top stories will be content derived from Team New Zealand. Their candour about the high stress involved is at odds with the bravado from the Oracle camp.

Despite having a boat that has hardly touched the water and very little in the way of real world data to help the progression of a second boat, Sir Russell Coutts said he wouldn't trade positions with any other team at this point.

Discover more

Opinion

Bob Harvey: Aucklanders proud to show off waterfront gem

22 Jan 04:30 PM
New Zealand

Auckland celebrates anniversary

28 Jan 04:30 PM
Sport|sailing

Race back in 'spiritual home'

29 Jan 04:30 PM
Sport|sailing

New crews tackle Sail Auckland

31 Jan 03:59 AM

Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill has remained his typical chipper self about the situation his team found itself in after the October capsize. Even after four months of being stuck on shore, Spithill feels his team are right on track for their Cup defence.

Swedish team Artemis have been even less visible with multiple setbacks, and it is difficult to get any sort of gauge of where they sit.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Perhaps the two different approaches are a reflection of the fact that Team New Zealand are the only syndicate that aren't being bankrolled by a billionaire.

You have to do things differently when you have commercial sponsors to answer to, not to mention the taxpayer.

Yet the America's Cup is in a position where it desperately needs to build its fanbase - as was the stated aim of Coutts when he made the move to multihulls.

One would have thought better engagement from the teams would be a good way to achieve this.

Most contemporary sports maintain a high profile and connect with their fans by letting them inside their camp, and speaking candidly about the lows as well as the highs.

It's an approach the teams in this year's America's Cup should take on board.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from America's Cup

Sport|athletics

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM
Sailing|sailgp

Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

01 Jul 06:01 AM
America's Cup

Another former Team NZ sailor joins Luna Rossa for Naples campaign

22 Jun 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from America's Cup

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM

'I don’t score the images, I score the idea; the feeling, the heart'

Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

01 Jul 06:01 AM
Another former Team NZ sailor joins Luna Rossa for Naples campaign

Another former Team NZ sailor joins Luna Rossa for Naples campaign

22 Jun 06:00 PM
'Only a matter of time': How Burling signing shakes up AmCup

'Only a matter of time': How Burling signing shakes up AmCup

21 Jun 04:42 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP