Head to head: The syndicate heads and navigators

Team Alinghi: Ernesto Bertarelli

By his grin a mile wide, it's probably safe to assume Swiss pharmaceutical billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli is having the time of his life competing in the America's Cup.

And why wouldn't he be? Winners of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Bertarelli's Swiss team Alinghi powered through the challengers' series, losing just three races.

Now they have won the right to line up against Team New Zealand and challenge for the Auld Mug.

As navigator, Bertarelli is likely to come up against either Tom Schnackenberg or Mike Drummond as his opposing number on the black boat.

With extensive knowledge of the Hauraki Gulf, the New Zealanders have the advantage, but Bertarelli has tactician Brad Butterworth and strategist Murray Jones nearby to seek advice.

"I have a huge amount of respect for Team New Zealand," Bertarelli said.

"We have sailed against the new Team New Zealand several times with Russell in match-racing events and have lost the last two times.

"I have a huge amount of respect for Dean [Barker].

"I think he is intelligent, smart and a very nice young man, and he has the courage to lead Team New Zealand to victory."

Born in 1965, Bertarelli attended Babson College in Boston before going on to Harvard Business School. He took over his father's company, Serono, in 1996.

Passionate about sailing since early childhood, he has competed in many events both at sea and on Lake Geneva.

Although Bertarelli has had limited success in sailing, possibly due to business commitments, he has racked up impressive results.

He won the Sardinia Cup in 1988, the Bol d'Or in 1997 and 2000 and finished third in the 1999 Fastnet Race.

But Bertarelli has always had his eye on the America's Cup, and when he was lucky enough to secure some of the best sailors in the world, it was all on.

"In Alinghi we have something special going right now," says Bertarelli.

"I think being able to have started out with the white piece of paper, having met Russell out of nowhere and being able to put together a great team has given us a unique shot at the Cup."

Team NZ: Tom Schnackenberg

Dennis Conner has described him as the 'best brain in yachting', and former French skipper Bruno Trouble says he is 'the guru of the America's Cup today'. They are talking about Team New Zealand's Tom Schnackenberg.

Competing in his eighth America's Cup, Schnackenberg is not only the design co-ordinator and a navigator at Team NZ, he is also the syndicate head.

Schnackenberg was not a serious yachtie as a child. He did not start competitive sailing until he was 21.

"Our family had a Frostbite dinghy the kids would sail in the holidays. I obviously liked boats, because Dad used to buy me books about sailing from the time I was 8."

A qualified nuclear physicist, Schnackenberg's passion for sailing took him into the world of sail-making.

His introduction to the America's Cup came in 1977, when he met Alan Bond in Newport. The meeting was the start of a long relationship with Australian challengers.

Schnackenberg was with the syndicate in the 1983 challenge, when Australia became the first nation to take the cup from the United States. He worked with the Spirit of Australia syndicate in 1992, then joined Team NZ for the 1995 challenge.

During training sessions out on the Gulf, he can be found bent over a computer, scribbling in his notebook, peering at the cut of a sail, or watching the hull move through water, calculating, calculating, calculating.

Over the years Team New Zealand have become renowned for their innovative ideas in yacht design. Schnackenberg has contributed to all of them.

"Tom has always had an ability to see the big picture of a yacht," said Team New Zealand principal designer Mike Drummond.

"You might be talking about a very small area like a rudder, working out the intricacies of it, and he can easily relate it to the entire yacht's performance. He can see the whole jigsaw puzzle rather than a single piece."

Away from sailing, Schnackenberg enjoys windsurfing, snow skiing and fishing, but for now his focus is on defending the America's Cup.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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