Yachting: Cup crew aim for deep seas

By Suzanne McFadden

Win or lose in the America's Cup final, Russell Coutts' team of sailors may find themselves all at sea after the racing's finished on the Hauraki Gulf.

The three-time world champions are determined not to make the same mistake they made after the last America's Cup and plunge back into the intense atmosphere of the world match racing circuit.

Instead the world's best round-the-buoys sailors want to chase a new adventure, sailing round-the-world.

Trimmer Warwick Fleury says Team Magic, Coutts' long-serving crew on the world circuit, are planning towards sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race, even though most of the team have never ventured that far before.

"I can't see us doing the match race circuit next year," he said. "We did it in '95 straight after the cup and it was just a disaster. We were all mentally exhausted."

If Team New Zealand can successfully defend the America's Cup against Prada in the next three weeks, Coutts and his tactician Brad Butterworth will be in charge of running the next Cup regatta.

It seems a difficult proposition to sail around the globe for eight months - starting in September 2001 - and then organise an America's Cup. Fleury believes it can be done.

"It would probably be in three years' time, and we wouldn't need the same build-up as we did this time," he said.

"In 1995, we arrived in the States six weeks before the cup, because we had been to San Diego before.

"If we are successful this time, we are obviously on the right track with our boats, so that would help."

Fleury, who turns 39 during the America's Cup match, has never tackled a circumnavigation before. For that matter, neither has Coutts or fellow Team Magician Simon Daubney.

Butterworth skippered Winston for Dennis Conner in the 1993-94 Whitbread race, and was watch captain on Sir Peter Blake's victorious Steinlager 2 in the previous race.

"For a professional sailor there are two events now that are at the top of the list - the America's Cup and the Volvo - and you really have to be involved with them," Fleury said.

"I think with guys like Paul Cayard and Chris Dickson sailing, the race has evolved. You really develop your sailing skills on a race like that."

But in the meantime, the Team Magic guys are putting all their efforts into Team New Zealand.

Fleury, who has been part of all of the New Zealand cup campaigns since the first in 1987, said the Kiwis have no idea where they stand against Prada.

"We had a much better idea of how fast we were when we went into the '95 match," he said. "We knew we were better than all the challengers as far as speed went.

"The most telling thing with the defenders was that although they were claiming their close racing got them much better prepared, it also pointed out that none of their boats were breakthrough boats.

"So that was an indication that we were looking okay.

"But I don't think we will see a breakthrough boat in this Cup class again."

Fleury expects it will be close racing against Prada, like the formidable tussles the Italians had with AmericaOne in the challenger final.