Butterworth's goal remains the cup

By JULIE ASH

He may be with a different team, but the goal of winning the America's Cup is still the same for Alinghi tactician Brad Butterworth.

Butterworth and Russell Coutts quit Team New Zealand in May two years ago to join pharmaceutical billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and his Swiss syndicate Alinghi.

Now the team is shaping up as one of the hot favourites to win the right to challenge Team New Zealand for the cup.

The experienced Coutts and Butterworth combination automatically makes Alinghi a threat.

"I wouldn't say it was just us two," Butterworth said. "We've had great opportunities to be part of good teams with good sailors and good designers, all of whom have gelled into really powerful units."

But how would it feel to take the cup off the team you fought so hard to win it for in the first place?

"It would be pretty satisfying to be part of this team from day one, building it up from nothing and then achieving so much," Butterworth said. "To win the cup would be a dream come true, but I would say it is a long way off."

Butterworth won the cup with Team New Zealand in 1995 and 2000. He was part of the New Zealand team which reached the finals of the Louis Vuitton series in 1992 and the KZ7 team in 1987.

"A lot of Team New Zealand are my lifelong friends. Just because I am not with them this time probably means more to some members of the media than it does to them,"Butterworth said.

"Being a professional yachtsman, I have wound up working for a lot of other overseas teams, so it is no real change for me. I have really enjoyed my time being involved in another European team."

While winning the cup match is the aim, Alinghi's immediate focus is heading the Louis Vuitton series, which could come down to a battle between the big-budget campaigns of Prada, Oracle BMW Racing, OneWorld and Alinghi.

"I think most of the teams have big budgets," Butterworth said. "But once you get here, everyone is more or less on the same wave. You can build only two boats, you can have only so many crew, really."

Regardless of the size of their budgets, Butterworth believes no one can be underestimated.

"Look at the Swedes, they are a big team who have been going for a while with good sailors and good designers.

"All the American teams are way up there in terms of experience, and I don't think money is a factor.

"The English team have built two boats, and have really good sailors.

"There is a lot more spread of good people and the guys we are up against in the Louis Vuitton are guys that I have sailed against all of my life."

Thirty-eight days out from the Louis Vuitton Challenger series, a typical day for most syndicates involves racing against themselves.

"There hasn't been that much co-operation between the teams to race against each other because most of them have got their new boats and they are trying to get going, which is the same with us," Butterworth said.

"We have got plenty in-house that we need to do and one of the bizarre parts of the cup is that you do so much sailing against yourself.

"It is a major benefit, I think, if you can race against other teams."

While his exit from Team New Zealand caused an outcry, Butterworth is not sure how his team will be received come the start of October's challenger series.

"I don't know, maybe New Zealand will support us for the Louis Vuitton, but all these challenging teams are here for one reason, and that is to win the America's Cup. So I couldn't see any reason New Zealanders would want to back an overseas team."

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