By JULIE ASH
Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton believes people more than money are the key to claiming back yachting's greatest prize.
With 70 people secured Dalton is confident he has the right team to win back the America's Cup.
"We have a team that is more experienced and is
more international in its make-up," Dalton said this week.
"In almost every instance the people we wanted signed with us despite competitive offers."
Of the 26 sailors so far secured, just over half remain from last year's defence while the design team headed by Britain's Andy Claughton now includes Spain's Marcelino Botin and Italian Giovanni Belgrano.
"I think overall the team is very good," said Yachting New Zealand selector and coach Grant Beck.
"They have a very good mix and they are obviously leaving themselves time and the opportunity to select more as they see fit in the next couple of years."
The afterguard takes on a completely new look with just skipper Dean Barker and Australian Adam Beashel remaining from the disastrous 2003 campaign.
New to the team is highly regarded British sailor Ben Ainslie, American Kevin Hall, former Stars and Stripes tactician Terry Hutchinson and experienced cup sailor Rod Davis.
New Zealanders Kelvin Harrap and Ray Davies, also join the brains trust.
"All those people in their individual rights are very talented people but how you actually make a good combination to match the likes of [Russell] Coutts and [Brad] Butterworth ... I don't know," said David Barnes, former general manager of GBR challenge.
"But I am sure they have got ideas of how to put it together."
While long-standing afterguard combinations like Coutts and Butterworth and Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes group have been successful in the past, new multi-national afterguards are common.
"You could put an afterguard together in the last six months and win the America's Cup," Beck said.
"Dalton has chosen some clever people who have a lot of potential ... I think they have some of the most talented young yachtsmen in the world in there."
Beck said it was impossible to gauge how good the new afterguard would be.
"I imagine that Dalton will be looking for the team to form itself," he said.
Barnes said the appointment of a strong leader "on the water" was crucial.
"There is nobody that pops out of there as the obvious choice.
"You have got people who are good tacticians, a good starting helmsman and so on ... but you actually have to have someone that is responsible for taking leadership on the water which is something Team New Zealand let themselves down badly with last time."
While Beck thought there would have been more changes in the sailing crew, Barnes said Alinghi and Oracle had already snapped up a lot of the "good people".
"There are a lot of good sailors out there but to actually put together a really good team once those other teams take the pickings starts to get hard."
How the contenders line up
THE DEFENDER
Alinghi
Yacht Club: Societe Nautique de Geneve
Country: Switzerland
Estimated budget: $170-$190 million
Syndicate head: Ernesto Bertarelli
Skipper/helmsman: Russell Coutts, Peter Holmberg, Jochen Schuemann
Designers: Rolf Vrolijk, Grant Simmer
Afterguard: Brad Butterworth, Murray Jones, Juan Vila, Ernesto Bertarelli
New Zealand sailors: Coutts, Butterworth, Jones, Simon Daubney, Dean Phipps, Warwick Fleury, Matt Mitchell, Rodney Ardern, Richard Bouzaid, Mike Drummond
THE CHALLENGERS SO FAR
* BMW Oracle Racing
Estimated budget: At least $200 million
Yacht Club: Golden Gate Yacht Club
Country: USA
Syndicate head: Larry Ellison
CEO and skipper: Chris Dickson
Designer: BMW ORACLE Racing Design Team, which incorporates Bruce Farr Yacht Design
Afterguard: John Kostecki, Gavin Brady
New Zealand sailors: Ian Baker, Stuart Bettany, Gavin Brady, David Brooke, Sean Clarkson, Chris Dickson, Jamie Gale, John Gundersen, Ross Halcrow, Zac Hurst, Phil Jameson, Craig Monk, Robbie Naismith, Joe Spooner, Brad Webb, Carl Williams
* + 39 (formerly Clan Des Team)
Yacht Club: Circolo Vela Gargnano
Country: Italy
Estimated budget: unknown
Syndicate head: Lorenzo Rizzardi
Skipper: Luca Devoti
Designer: Giovanni Ciccarelli
Afterguard: Iain Percy (helmsman)
* Team Shosholoza
Yacht Club: Royal Cape Yacht Club
Country: Republic of South Africa
Estimated budget: $50 million
President: Mafika Mkwanazi
Managing director: Salvatore Sarno
Skipper: Geoff Meek
Designer: Jason Ker
* Emirates Team New Zealand
Yacht club: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Country: New Zealand
Estimated budget: $130-$150 million.
Syndicate Head: Grant Dalton.
Skipper: Dean Barker
Afterguard: Barker, Ben Ainslie (Britain), Adam Beashel (Australian), Terry Hutchinson (USA), Kevin Hall (USA), Kelvin Harrap, Ray Davies, Rod Davis
Design co-ordinator: Andy Claughton
ANNOUNCED CHALLENGES Signings not confirmed
* Prada
Yacht Club: Punta Ala
Country: Italy
Syndicate head: Patrizio Bertelli
Skipper: Francesco de Angelis
Designers: Bruce Nelson
Afterguard: de Angelis, James Spithill
* K-Yachting
Country: France
Syndicate head: Stephane Kandler
Skipper: Thierry Peponnet
Team manager: Dawn Riley
Design co-ordinator: Dimitri Nicolopoulos
* Le Defi
Country: France
Operations manager: Luc Gelluseau
Afterguard: Philippe Presti, Philippe Mourniac, Pierre Mas
* Mascalzone Latino
Country: Italy
Syndicate head: Vincenzo Onorato
Afterguard: John Cutler
* GBR Challenge
Country: Great Britain
Syndicate head: Peter Harrison
Operations manager: Gordon Moultrie
Afterguard: Ian Walker, Adrian Beadsworth
* OZ Boys Challenge
Country: Australia
Syndicate heads: Sebastien Destremau and Philip Edmiston
Skipper: Michael Dunstan
* Toscana Challenge
Country: Italy
Syndicate heads: Gualtiero Pantani and Stefano Ghelli
Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup
By JULIE ASH
Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton believes people more than money are the key to claiming back yachting's greatest prize.
With 70 people secured Dalton is confident he has the right team to win back the America's Cup.
"We have a team that is more experienced and is
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