KEY POINTS:
American syndicate Oracle may have to start rotating their crew if the America's Cup challengers' series continues to be stalled by lack of wind, sailing manager Craig Monk said today.
The reason isn't injury or burnout. It's just that the topics of conversation on board USA98 have dried
up after three days of waiting for a strong enough breeze to build off Valencia.
"We've run out of stories," New Zealander Monk, who is also one of the team's grinders, told the syndicate's website.
"We need new material. We might have to start rotating the crew if this goes on much longer."
Oracle did have the welcome distraction of two models, German Tatjana Patitz and Spaniard Laura Ponte, on board as "18th man" over the first two days to help them kill time.
But Monk, who was on NZL32 when Team New Zealand triumphed in San Diego in 1995, said the glamorous additions didn't really turn the heads of those in the engine room.
Those sailors were more concerned about maintaining their food intake to ensure they had fuel to burn if sailing got under way.
"The grinders don't pay much attention to that -- we might miss out on the food," he said.
"We leave it to the smooth talkers in the afterguard to do the entertaining."
Despite the down time, Monk said the crew, skippered by compatriot Chris Dickson, were aware they could be required for action in quick time.
"At the first indication of a racing breeze, we can have sails hoisted, the extra gear transferred off the boat and be ready to race in 12 minutes," he said.
Another New Zealander with Oracle, tactician Gavin Brady, was philosophical about the lack of competition so far, saying it was preferable to wait until the wind was more favourable.
"We don't want to race in these extremely light conditions," he said.
"After three years of development, we don't want to let it all come down to a lottery."
Team NZ meteorologist Tom Addis agreed, even if the situation could be frustrating for sailors.
"It's important for the race committees to run a high quality race," he said.
"If they bang a race off in very fluky, unstable conditions, then you'd almost be better off staying on land and tossing coins to decide the winner."
The Louis Vuitton Cup challengers' series, which was to have begun on Tuesday (NZT), is now not scheduled to get going until tomorrow.
Weather permitting, Team NZ's opening matches of their campaign will be against Team Germany and China Team.
The races so far postponed have been slotted into spare spots over the coming week.
Valencia was chosen ahead of other European cities to host the 32nd America's Cup because of its consistent weather.
But only one of the build-up regattas in Spain over the past three years started before May -- last month's Louis Vuitton Act 13, which was disrupted by weather delays.
America's Cup Management spokesman Marcus Hutchinson said this year's programme was based on the need to provide good sailing for the America's Cup match, set down for late June and early July.
It was then a case of counting back far enough to get all the challengers' races in.
- NZPA