KEY POINTS:
Andrew Taylor chuckles when asked if he has had to resort to any poetry to rev up his America's Cup team Luna Rossa. During the 1995 cup Taylor, then a grinder for Team New Zealand, was regarded as the team's biggest cheerleader.
They often turned to him for
a few words of encouragement when heading to the race course in San Diego. What they got was ... well, it is probably best to use an example.
'We have battled hard, we have battled long, now it's time to march on.'
"I used to come up with a bit of poetry occasionally on the boat and the guys would look at me sideways," Taylor laughs. "That is a bit of an ongoing joke by Russell [Coutts].
"The guys at Luna Rossa are very motivated. I have to make sure I do my job properly and contribute to the team in the best way I can. My job here has been to mix the young and the old and I think it has been pretty successful."
The Luna Rossa Challenge is an evolution of the Prada syndicate that first entered the America's Cup in 1999. They were highly successful in that first attempt, making it through to the America's Cup match to be defeated by Team New Zealand. They returned for the 2002/03 cup but struggled with their boat speed and were eliminated in the semifinals.
This time the Italian challenge has more of an international feel. New to the team is highly rated Australian helmsman James Spithill, who brought with him several sailors from his last team, OneWorld.
The syndicate were the first to set up a base in Valencia and have banked more time on the waters off the port city than any other team. How the Luna Rossa boats ITA86 and ITA94 perform will be of interest. ITA86 was okay at best last year but has since been fitted with a fuller bow.
"There are lots of teams out there that have made modifications," Taylor says.
"Oracle did a serious job to their first new boat, it is just part of the process. You don't like to do it but sometimes the design team continues to work after the boat has been launched and they might [see] a small gain somewhere and decide to do it."
Like many, Taylor suspects the boats are going to be relatively close in performance.
"Team New Zealand and Oracle have got a bit of a head start. I'd say that we are still a step behind those guys but having said that I don't think they are unbeatable.
"A lot of the one-boat teams seem to have good boats and they'll be out there trying to throw a spanner in the works.
"To the human eye the boats are all quite similar - they are all narrow. If you end up getting behind any of these teams they are going to be hard to pass. I think you are going to see a lot of close and intense racing."
When asked his observations on Alinghi, Taylor says the defenders are keeping to themselves although the pre-regattas had allowed Alinghi to have a good look at the challengers and the directions they were taking in terms of design.
"They have been able to sit back and analyse the teams and their efforts and then look at themselves and make adjustments or design their programme around that. There is no doubt it plays into Alinghi's hands but that has always been the case with the defender. They build their boats last. They get to see everyone's hand."
This will be Taylor's seventh cup.
And the man commonly referred to as "meat" due to his love for eating isn't sure he's ready to give the game up just yet.
"I'd be silly to say this was my last cup. It has been my life, it has been my family's life for 20 years now.
"It started in Fremantle in 1986 ... and we have had a great life from it.
"I am still completely motivated. I enjoy the sailing and the technical side of it.
"I have a lot of energy at the moment so who knows ... "
It does after all provide him with a chance to dazzle his old teammates with poetry.
"I go down and knock on their doors for a beer occasionally. It is typical America's Cup, you arrive at work, you work within your four walls and when you are finished you go home.
"I am looking forward to catching up with them at some stage."
The CV
Position: Grinder
Born: July 22, 1963 in Rotorua
America's Cup Career:
2007: Luna Rossa
2003: OneWorld
2000: Team New Zealand
1995: Team New Zealand
1992: New Zealand Challenge
1988: New Zealand Challenge
1987: New Zealand Challenge
