Yachting: Kiwi depth forces switch

By Suzanne McFadden

The ground rules were laid as soon as Kiwi sailor Morgan Trubovich stepped off the plane at Auckland Airport.

His younger sister told him she would barrack for Trubovich and his AmericaOne team through the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.

But if he makes the America's Cup match, Amy Trubovich will be cheering Team New Zealand to beat her brother.

"It was the first thing she said to me when I walked through the arrival gates. I couldn't believe it," he laughs.

"I told her to send Mum and Dad to pick me up in future."

Trubovich's parents have told him that it doesn't matter who he is sailing with.

"They say they will always support me. Especially sailing with Paul Cayard - they see it as such a big break," he said.

Morgan Trubovich is one of at least 15 Kiwis who will sail in the challenger series for other nations.

They are not disloyal - they are professional yachties doing a job.

With only one defender, there were only so many sailors who could get a job with Team New Zealand.

So others who wanted to sail in the America's Cup packed their bags and went to live in another country for three years.

"I still consider myself a New Zealander at heart.

"I think the other New Zealand sailors understand that it's the best thing for my career - it's a job," says Trubovich, who worked for Team New Zealand in San Diego in 1995.

"If we don't win I'd be happy to see it stay here again.

"It's an opportunity to live at home in New Zealand and be a professional sailor - that doesn't happen very often here.

"It's one of the reasons I left to sail overseas - you can only do so many Wednesday night races in Auckland," he said. You can't survive without a pay cheque."

Trubovich says he hasn't suffered any jabs in the ribs from other New Zealand yachties about changing ship.

"It has to help New Zealand yachting too.

"The Kiwi guys who are sailing for AmericaOne are so young that eventually we should be all together on a boat sailing for New Zealand."

Trubovich had the choice of moving back home with his family, with AmericaOne paying his rent, or staying in the crew's apartments near Auckland University.

He chose to stick with the team: "It's hard being out of the group," he said.

Decisions are sometimes made late at night, and you wouldn't get to hear about them.

"But I do miss home. I'm so glad to be back - especially now with the rugby World Cup on.

"I'm having trouble dividing my time between sailing and rugby."

Two other New Zealanders are in Cayard's crew - Sean Clarkson and former world No 2 matchracing skipper Gavin Brady, who both sailed for Chris Dickson at the last America's Cup.

America True has the largest contingent of locals, with six Kiwis in the sailing crew, including all of the afterguard - helmsman John Cutler and tacticians Leslie Egnot and Kelvin Harrap.

Young America have three New Zealanders - new dad Grant Spanhake, and former Team New Zealand members Ross Halcrow and Jamie Gale.

Cameron Dunn, Chris Main and Ed Smyth are making their cup debuts for the Hawaiians, Japanese and Australia respectively.

Virtually every campaign along Syndicate Row - and even the Australians a stone's throw across the basin - have New Zealanders in their shore crew, such is the depth of yachting in this country.