By JULIE ASH
Mike Drummond is almost part of the furniture at Team New Zealand.
The 40-year-old is the only crew member who has been with the syndicate since the KZ7 days in 1987.
In 1985, he signed with the New Zealand Challenge as a member of the shore crew, but soon became
interested in yacht design.
With a degree in engineering, Drummond's knowledge of yacht design grew over the years and he is now regarded as one of the best in the business.
He can lay claim to the three-spreader Millennium rig, used in the last cup, which has been replicated by almost all of the challengers this time round.
"His contribution in 1995 and 2000 was probably three times as big as anyone outside Team New Zealand realised," says syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg. "He is definitely one of the key factors in our success, so it is a huge strategic move to have him inside our team."
Drummond started sailing at the Glendowie Boating Club, where he raced Arrow dinghies as a child.
He sat on the side of KZ1 in 1988 and sailed in one race in the 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup in San Diego.
In the last cup he sailed in two of the five races as navigator, alternating with Schnackenberg. Like any true competitor, Drummond would rather be racing.
"It would be lovely to just go and race all the time. But you've got to do the hard grind to get the fastest boat."
Mike Drummond - designer/navigator
Age: 40
Place of birth: Christchurch
Cup experience:
2000 Team New Zealand
1995 Team New Zealand
1992 New Zealand Challenge
1988 New Zealand Challenge
1987 New Zealand Challenge
Career highlights:
1992-1999 - Six Admiral's Cups, two Kenwood Cups, two Two Ton worlds, one Ton worlds, three 470 Olympic trials.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
