Defending the America’s Cup in Naples in 2027 is just one challenge ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand.
Since taking the Auld Mug out of the possession of Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in 2017, the Kiwi crew have had a relatively settled team. But with the new cycle came change.
Peter Burling and Josh Junior – three-time Cup winners with the Kiwis – have joined Italian challenger Luna Rossa. Cyclors and grinders have been scrapped from the boats completely, with batteries now providing the power, while all teams will sail with a female athlete as part of their AC75 team.
A new-look Team NZ line-up was indicated early in the campaign as Sam Meech was elevated to the core group, while British sailor Chris Draper was a surprise inclusion in the sailing group. They were named alongside returning flight controllers Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney, with port helm Nathan Outteridge taking over as skipper and starboard helm after Burling’s departure.
Now, Team NZ have revealed they will use the campaign to build on the depth of their sailing team, largely promoting familiar faces.
Jo Aleh returns as one of four new additions to the team. The Olympic gold and silver medallist in the 470 class shared the helming duties aboard an AC40 in the team’s first Women’s America’s Cup bid in Barcelona last year and now gets the opportunity to step into the AC75.
Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton said Aleh was always at the front of his mind when it came to recruiting an athlete for the mandatory female position on board in the new cycle.
Josh Armit and Seb Menzies also get the opportunity to make that step up after competing in Team NZ’s Youth America’s Cup campaign in 2024. The pair worked together on the port side of the boat, Armit on flight controls and Menzies at the helm, and both come in with strong displays in their respective classes outside of the America’s Cup. Armit narrowly missed the medals in the debut of the IQ Foil at the Paris Olympics, finishing fourth in the final, while Menzies won the European Championships in the 49ers class alongside George Lee Rush in June.
They’re joined by 20-year-old Jake Pye, who has made a habit of appearing on the world championships podium in the moth class. It’s a big jump for Pye, who made the shortlist but ultimately missed out on a place in Team NZ’s Youth America’s Cup team for the 2024 regatta.
While Armit and Menzies worked the same side of the AC40 for the youth team in Barcelona, that didn’t come into the thinking behind bringing them into the main team together.
“I was disappointed with the performance of the youth team and also the women’s team [in Barcelona], and Luna Rossa just cleaned them in both,” Dalton said.
“You’d say, well, they’re sort of the same people, not Jake, but now they’re integrated, a bit like bringing new blood into an All Blacks team. They’re into a machine that has got a lot of experience as well.
“So it’s a different environment than comparing them with their performance in the youth team, because they’re integrated into the bigger picture and they’ve got mentors and more training tools, etc.
“If you look at what they do, they’re fast, and a guy like Jake, who isn’t necessarily known because he hasn’t come up through the traditional 49er but two moth [world championship podiums], they’re a development class and that’s impressive to do it twice, and he’s 20.”
The confirmation of the new signings came as the team got back out on the water for the first time since defeating the British in the America’s Cup match in Barcelona last October, with teams now allowed to sail their AC40s again.
Team NZ are the third team to return to sailing their AC40s, along with Luna Rossa and France’s K-Challenge. While there were no limits on when teams could return to the smaller boats in one-design mode, there have been limits on development on the scaled-down vessels, as well as getting two on the water together. As of July 1, teams were permitted to have two AC40s out on the water for a maximum of 35 days until the same date next year, with a further 35 days for training in the following year before the event in Naples.
Teams are also limited to 45 days sailing aboard their AC75s between January 15 next year and January 14 in 2027.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.