Former Team New Zealand and OneWorld grinder Craig Monk will sail with Oracle BMW Racing in the next America's Cup.
Oracle head Chris Dickson yesterday confirmed that 35-year-old Monk had signed with his team.
"Craig Monk brings a tremendous amount of experience with him and he has a long listof successes," Dickson said.
"He has a terrific amount of energy and will strengthen the team in the main grind position as well as assisting with the team's fitness programme."
Monk was with Team New Zealand when they won the cup in 1995 and defended it in 2000.
He then defected to Seattle syndicate OneWorld who were beaten by Oracle in this year's challenger series semifinal repechage.
Also an accomplished Finn sailor, Monk won bronze in the 1992 Olympics. He was ranked No 1 in the world in 1993 and was a gold medallist in the Goodwill Games in 1994.
He is the second Aucklander to join Oracle after helmsman Gavin Brady signed last month.
Monk and Brady have teamed up in the Star class, and together they hope to qualify for the Athens Olympics.
An Oracle spokesperson said the syndicate would not be commenting on other sailors they were in talks with or whether American-based New Zealand designer Bruce Farr had been re-signed.
With the location of the next cup still undecided, the Larry Ellison-backed syndicate are also investigating whether it is feasible to run their campaign from Auckland.
They have one yacht (USA71) in Auckland and the other (USA76) in San Francisco where it will be used in upcoming regattas.
Oracle will square off against cup holders Alinghi in the Moet Cup in September.
