Team NZ wrapped up the MedCup series after winning the final regatta in Cartagena, Spain. Photo / Chris Cameron, ETNZ
Emirates Team New Zealand Team New Zealand, with the MedCup yachting series title already won, ended the season by winning the final regatta in Spain yesterday.
Only one race was held on the last day at Cartagena, NZL380 finishing second behind Synergy (Russia).
NZL380 ended the regatta on 10 points,
followed by Bigamist 7 (Portugal) on 23 and Quantum Racing (USA) on 27.
Victory gave Team New Zealand an unprecedented record of four victories in the TP52 circuit's five regattas, having won the past three in Marseille, Cagliari and Portimao.
Skipper Dean Barker and his crew now shift their focus to the first Louis Vuitton World Series regatta at Nice, France, in November.
"We have really enjoyed this year's Audi MedCup season and now we are going to do everything we can to come back next season," Barker said.
"But now we have to switch our focus from fleet racing back to match racing and start preparing for Nice."
For Team NZ boss and mastman Grant Dalton, the most telling aspect of the season has been the crew's steady improvement race by race, regatta by regatta.
"We wanted to improve incrementally as the season progressed. That was the objective.
"We have made the boat faster as the season went on. A small amount here and there but certainly by this last regatta we never looked like losing overall.
"That's a real credit to the guys and the way they go about their jobs."
- NZPA
