Defenders far too busy making plans to dwell on past glory

By Suzanne McFadden

Four years ago today, Russell Coutts raised the America's Cup through a mist of champagne spray and rose petals.

But Coutts will be caught in a swirl of paperwork and sawdust today. The anniversary date of Team New Zealand's cup victory will go by pretty much unnoticed.

"We haven't made a big deal out of it since the year after we won," Coutts said. "It hasn't really been talked about. We've had a bit of work on."

All but one of the 16 sailors who were on board Black Magic I off San Diego on May 14, 1995, still work for Team New Zealand.

The odd man out is trimmer Ross Halcrow, who has joined New York's Young America challenge.

Two of the mainstays of the NZL32 crew have assumed roles on shore this time - navigator Tom Schnackenberg, who heads the design of the new boats, and syndicate head Sir Peter Blake, who worked the mainsheet traveller in '95.

Everyone will be at work today, either testing the black boats on the Hauraki Gulf, tuning up their matchracing skills in the Etchell fleet, or working on the early stages of construction of the new boat at the Cookson yard in Glenfield.

The black boats have not been put into retirement yet. They will still be sailed every now and again during this winter, testing appendages for the new yachts.

A handful of the crew are helping to build boat No 1, which so far is a wooden frame. Coutts, when he is in the country, will be a regular visitor to the yard "out of interest's sake."

Sailors have already started drifting off to ports around the world to brush up on their competitive skills. But they must be back in Auckland at the end of July to add the finishing touches to the boat - assembling the deck gear and hydraulics systems.

The boat will be launched in September, as the challengers arrive in town.

Coutts led his crew to victory in Baltimore last week in a One Design 48 regatta on Canadian boat Numbers, beating cup skippers like Ed Baird and John Kolius. Back-up helmsman Dean Barker finished fourth in the Jylinge Open matchracing regatta in Denmark.

Seventeen of the crew will sail in the Tour de France a la Voile next month - a month-long marathon sailed in Bruce Farr-designed Mumm 30s. Team New Zealand, who are renting a boat, will have six men on board at a time and rotate their crew.

At least 12 of the yachties are also sailing in the Admiral's Cup in July - eight of them for the European team - as New Zealand does not have an entry.