NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Sailing / America's Cup

<i>Sips from the Cup:</i> Rooms with a view for GBR Challenge chief

11 Aug, 2004 11:45 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

By JULIE ASH

GBR Challenge chief executive Peter Harrison has purchased one of the best seats in the house to watch his yacht compete.

The billionaire has bought a luxury North Shore clifftop home with a bird's-eye view of the course.

He can watch the yacht racing from nearly every room in the
house - including the shower.

Harrison and his wife Joy chose the house, in Campbells Bay, as their "New Zealand home," and have been living there since last month.

They "wanted to be in a key viewing position for the races."

The two-storeyed house - complete with swimming pool and tennis court - overlooks the entire cup course and practice areas.

* * *

The Oracle team have competed in their own Eco Challenge.

Five six-man teams raced against each other and the clock over a multi-disciplined course.

The teams began with a 12km kayak along Auckland's Upper Waitemata Harbour.

Once out of the kayaks, it was a short drive to the next transition, a 15km mountain bike ride that pre-empted a 15km hike through rugged and scenic terrain to reach Muriwai Beach.

If jogging through soft sand was not enough, the finish was declared only after each team pulled a four-wheel-drive truck around a course.

The event took more than four hours.

* * *

Predicting the weather forecast is an integral part of yacht racing and is one area that Oracle Racing seem to have covered.

Powering Oracle Racing's weather programme is a fleet comprising three 9.1m inflatable chase boats, two 7.9m inflatable chase boats and a 13.7m powerboat, the Southern Star.

All boats are powered by Yamaha NZ engines and are fully instrumented with advanced technological equipment that is used to observe and record weather sequences.

Equipment is only as good as the team driving it, and Oracle Racing's weather team has a combined sailing and meteorological experience of 150 years.

Renowned meteorologist Bob Rice, who previously worked for Team New Zealand in 1995 and last year when they won and retained the cup, heads Oracle's weather team.

With 50 years of meteorology experience, Rice manages Oracle Racing's overall weather programme and is responsible for accurately predicting Auckland's variable weather patterns and wind shifts that play a critical role in the outcome of races.

Rice has been involved in some of the world's greatest and most adventurous endeavours.

He has provided weather support for three successful ascents of Mt Everest.

He initiated the role of weather routers for racing sailboats in 1978, and has also provided full meteorological support for 27 long-distance manned balloon flights, most of which set world records and recorded historic firsts for a long list of legendary balloon pilots.

Supporting Rice is a team of sailing experts, including 470 European champion Simon Cooke, three-time mistral world champion and Olympic wind-surfing bronze medallist Aaron McIntosh, tornado Olympic gold and silver medallist Rex Sellers, and former America's Cup and Admirals Cup crew member Jim Watters.

* * *

The first completely Italian team, Onorato Challenge, have their campaign under way.

Under the guidance of Vincenzo Onorato, the Neapolitan yacht and ship builder who has put together the challenge, the team have been hard at work for months at their home base in Portoferraio, which was officially opened this month.

Paolo Scutellaro is the team manager, Paolo Cian the skipper and Flavio Favini, the new recruit as tactician.

* * *

Also preparing for the move Down Under is Illbruck Challenge.

Illbruck will represent Germany's first America's Cup challenge on behalf of the Duesseldorf Yacht Club.

Illbruck will not arrive in Auckland until next year - their immediate focus being on their entry in the Volvo-sponsored round-the-world race in which they are leading the eight-boat fleet after two legs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from America's Cup

America's Cup

'An important step': AmCup challenger urges agreement over protocol

05 Jul 12:21 AM
Sport|athletics

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM
Sailing|sailgp

Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

01 Jul 06:01 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from America's Cup

'An important step': AmCup challenger urges agreement over protocol

'An important step': AmCup challenger urges agreement over protocol

05 Jul 12:21 AM

The French team have encouraged teams to agree on a protocol so teams can begin preparing.

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

Arli Liberman: The art of scoring in sport

02 Jul 06:01 AM
Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

Fore the Record: Blair Tuke tees off on America's Cup and SailGP goals

01 Jul 06:01 AM
Another former Team NZ sailor joins Luna Rossa for Naples campaign

Another former Team NZ sailor joins Luna Rossa for Naples campaign

22 Jun 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP