Yachting: Change of tack after talking to Oracle

Matthew Mason was recruited for his boat-building expertise but was invited to join BMW Oracle's sailing crew by chief executive Russell Coutts. Photo / Supplied

Like most America's Cup sailors, New Zealand's Matthew Mason had resigned himself to being a mere spectator for the 33rd edition of the world's oldest sporting contest.

With bickering billionaires Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli unable to resolve their differences through the courts, the only way to decide the future of the event was through a rare Deed of Gift challenge.

As Alinghi and BMW Oracle geared up for their one-on-one multi-hull showdown on the water off Valencia, other America's Cup syndicates were left on the sidelines battling to stay afloat.

And so, Mason busied himself with Team New Zealand's TP52 campaign in Europe, awaiting the day an element of certainty would be restored to the cup.

That was until he got a phone call from BMW Oracle chief executive Russell Coutts, who had a unique opportunity for his former teammate.

Coutts was after Mason's expertise as a boat builder and shore crew all-rounder to help prepare Oracle's spectacular 90ft wing-sailed trimaran for battle in the America's Cup.

Mason was to help with boat testing and deck lay-out changes as Coutts looked to fine-tune his monster creation.

"I was just thrilled to get the opportunity to get involved so I stopped all my sailing in Europe and joined the team in San Diego in September, supposedly for a three-month stint," Mason said.

"The boat went through a whole lot of configuration changes. In September they got rid of the primaries [grinders] and the motor went in. So I went up and did a full weight study and a weight reduction study on the boat and looked at a new deck lay-out."

It was initially supposed to be a three-month stint, but one thing led to another and Mason was soon appointed boat director, which involved overseeing the entire operation of the boat on shore. Then came the real surprise.

After doing a bit of sailing with the crew on the boat's arrival in Valencia, Mason was asked to join the sailing team.

"Russell said to me 'I really want you to think about sailing on the boat' so I got the gym gear out and got back in to the gym," said Mason. "The hard thing was there had been a lot of people involved for a couple of years so to sort of slide me on the boat was quite hard."

Soon, Mason was lining up in his sixth America's Cup and the rest is history.

BMW Oracle went on to crush Alinghi 2-0 in the best of three showdown to return the Auld Mug to the US for the first time in 15 years.

It has been an intense six months for Mason, but he counts post-cup celebrations over the last week as the hardest. "The last few days have been pretty tough, harder than the sailing, I think," he joked.

Mason will re-join Emirates Team New Zealand for next month's Louis Vuitton series, making his way back to Auckland via the US where a number of functions have been arranged for the Oracle team, including one at the White House.

But the mastman is undecided on whether he will remain with Team NZ for the next cup, likely to be held in 2013, or explore further opportunities with Oracle.

"I'm just going to sit back over the next couple of months and make a decision on where my future lies."

MATTHEW MASON

1992: Took part in his first America's Cup campaign with Team New Zealand
1995: Won the Auld Mug with Team New Zealand aboard Black Magic
2000: Successfully defended the cup in Auckland
2003: Was involved in the OneWorld campaign for the 31st America's Cup in Auckland
2007: Re-joined Team New Zealand, winning the Louis Vuitton series to go on and challenge defenders Alinghi for the America's Cup
2010: Won his third America's Cup - this time as mastman aboard BMW Oracle in their Deed of Gift challenge against Alinghi