City connection in bid to win Cup

Former Wanganui Collegiate boarder Chris McAsey could be about to lift the America's Cup as a grinder aboard Emirates Team New Zealand's AC72. PHOTO: FILE

On Sunday, he was one of six men aboard Emirates Team New Zealand's AC72 who saved their campaign from capsizing literally and tomorrow he may get to place his own hands on yachting's greatest prize.

But that's the never-say-die attitude today's crop of Wanganui Collegiate School rowers could learn from one of their Old Boys as Team NZ grinder and former Collegiate boarder Chris McAsey has been right in the thick of the America's Cup action on the San Francisco Bay.

Originally from Hawera and now living with family in Whangarei, McAsey first came to prominent sporting attention while he was a boarder at Collegiate at the former Empson House from 1986-1990.

He was a member of the WCS rowing eight for the 1989 and 1990 rowing seasons, under coach Peter Irvine.

"I understand from the report it was the grinders that saved the boat," said Irvine, referring to the near disaster on Sunday morning when the Team NZ hull raised on a near 45 degree angle.

Cool as you like, McAsey and his fellow grinders kept providing power to the hydraulics so the crew could correct their 40m wingsail and bring the craft back down they lost the race but saved their single-boat campaign.

Irvine, who had just finished watching Team NZ's comeback victory in the second race yesterday morning when the Chronicle called, said rowing machine odometers had just been brought in to record times and distances while McAsey was under his stewardship in the late 1980s.

McAsey would set a Collegiate record of six minutes and 13.6 seconds for the 2000m row.

Irvine said while this was not a patch on the top level athletes Olympic gold medal rower and fellow Team NZ grinder Rob Waddell would be expected to do around five minutes it was still impressive for a then-young schoolboy.

"The odometer thing is quite a good thing to use for selecting crews.

"So Chris McAsey, while he was at school, was the best in my time.

"Because of that, I would have said 'yes' he had a future if he wanted to stick with rowing."

McAsey was part of the New Zealand Under-23 rowing eight from 1991-92, and then joined the NZ Four who won bronze at the 1994 Commonwealth Championships in Canada.

A year later while Team NZ were first winning the America's Cup he was in Finland with the NZ rowing four as they claimed the silver medal at the World Championships.

McAsey was a reserve for the Olympic Games rowing team in 1996 but by now New Zealand's sailing success had seduced him.

He did some chartered boat yachting in the Mediterranean before returning home and being hired as a grinder for Team New Zealand in 2003.

Team NZ now need only to win two more races to claim the Auld Mug from Oracle and will return to the water tomorrow morning (NZ time) after the final rest day of the cup finals.

Wanganui has another connection to the Cup that revolves around gears and levers the two-wheeled variety.

Cycle Sport NZ has supplied bikes to the Team NZ crews for the past couple of America's Cup campaigns and managing director Ron Cheatley said they were asked by TVNZ to also provide some for their television crew.

Commentators Martin Tasker and Peter Lester thanked Cheatley on-air on Sunday for giving them such an easy mode of transportation.

Cheatley said the bikes were "absolutely perfect" for the crew to get from their accommodation to the cup village through the bustling activity around San Francisco Bay.