America's Cup: Grudge race moved up a day for Kiwi sailors

Team NZ skipper Glenn Ashby believes his team is up for the task. Photo / AP

Team New Zealand's hopes of easing their way into the America's Cup qualifiers have been nixed by Mother Nature, with the postponement of the opening day of racing pushing up the Kiwi team's first showdown with Oracle Team USA.

America's Cup race management have rejigged the schedule after strong winds in Bermuda forced the postponement of today's opening races. The qualifiers will now kick off tomorrow, with an extra hour added to the programme for the first two days so organisers can shoehorn in six races, rather than the original four.

Emirates Team New Zealand begin with two races tomorrow, meeting Team France then taking on the defender in what Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill has ensured will be a grudge match following his barbs at yesterday's opening press conference.

The prospect of facing the big guns so early will test the mettle of the young Kiwi crew. Originally Team NZ would have had the opportunity to get the early nerves out of the way against the French team, who have looked off the pace, then meet Oracle the next day.

Now the blowtorch will be applied from day one.

Team NZ skipper Glenn Ashby believes his team is up for the task.

"This is the moment we have all been waiting for. Everything we have been working so relentlessly towards over the past four years has been focused on this date.

"It really is hard to reconcile everything we have been through as a team since San Francisco.

"We've had so many ups and downs, but everything that has happened has really made this team such a strong and unified group over that time and every team member is looking forward to it.

"You can sense the increase in intensity around the base. It is race time."

Tomorrow will mark the America's Cup debut of virtually the entire Team NZ line-up. Ashby, the wing trimmer, is the only member of the 2013 crew on board this time around.

The team's youth " in particular that of Peter Burling, at 26 the youngest to helm an America's Cup boat " was a topic at the press conference.

Nestled in among the likes of Spithill, a two-time America's Cup winning skipper, Olympic sailing great Ben Ainslie, and veteran campaigner Dean Barker, who Burling effectively deposed, the young Kiwi was not intimidated.

Burling said he believed the team's relative youth was their greatest asset.

"We're a bunch of young guys and we're all enthusiastic " we learn and adapt really, really fast. These boats are different and evolving every day and it's something you do have to learn and keep on the steep part of the learning curve to get ahead of the game."

Burling was also reminded of the typically feverish support Team NZ receives back home. He said the weight of expectation helps prop the team up, rather than suffocate them.

"It more gives us a great deal of pride and drive to keep going forward and keep pushing to make the boat go faster. It also gives us that determination when we do go through the tough times to pull ahead.

"I don't think many of the other countries here would have the level of support that we do from back home. We have put them through a rollercoaster at times, but it's amazing the support we get and that's why we're here, that's why we're racing."

Dana Johannsen travelled to Bermuda thanks to Emirates Airline.

Revised schedule

Day 1: Sunday, May 28
Race 1: USA vs France
Race 2: Sweden vs Japan
Race 3: France vs NZ
Race 4: GBR vs Sweden
Race 5: NZ vs USA
Race 6: GBR vs Japan

Day 2: Monday, May 29
Race 7: Sweden vs France
Race 8: USA vs GBR
Race 9: Japan vs NZ
Race 10: USA vs Sweden
Race 11: NZ vs GBR