Well, what more can I say! It's my 400th blog today (My 1st blog was in 2012 followed by my 50th in 2016, my 100th in 2017, my 200th in 2018 & my 300th in 2019 but I have now 400 blogs as a result) but in this blog where I'll write about the 6 greatest America's Cup moments that I've got about the 36th America's Cup guide according to the New Zealand herald:
6
1987 - The summer of Kiwi Magic
No boat captured the nation's imagination like KZ7, even allowing for the subsequent celebrated wins in 1995 & 2017. It was New Zealand's first tilt at the America's Cup, the start of an obsession, & the country had a rocket ship. The sense of patriotism ahead of the Fay Richwite-backed challenge had been fueled by the hit single Sailing Away. A star studded ensemble including Dave Dobbyn, Billy T James, Tim Finn, Annie Crummer, Ray Woolf & Barry Crump, backed by a choir of sporting greats & celebrities, produced a song that spent nine weeks at No.1, the record for a local single until 2009. Michael Fay had provided the funds, Bruce Farr & the revolutionary design & Chris Dickson the brash talent at the helm. And how she flew, KZ7 won a staggering 33 of 34 races in the round robin phase (The next best was 27 victories) to qualify as top challenger. The Kiwi crew, which included Brad Butterworth, Tony Rae & Simon Daubney, then swept French Kiss 4 - 0 to reach the Louis Vuitton final. That was where the journey ended, but they still arrived home to a heroes' welcome.
5
2000 - "The America's Cup is still New Zealand's Cup"
If winning the cup is magic, retaining it is damn special too. New Zealand became the first nation outside America to defend the Auld Mug, & in some style, seeing off Luna Rossa 5 - 0 in the Cup finals, in front of a huge flotilla of spectator craft. It was in the climax of a wonderful 6 months in Auckland, & the impetus for the waterfront development that has continued to this day. A superbly honed crew & the unequaled sailing skills of Russell Coutts (Skipper) & Brad Butterworth (Tactician) got the best out of NZL60. Sir Peter Blake, in his lucky red socks, was syndicate head. So dominant were Team NZ that the event ended - portentously - with Coutts handing the reins to Dean Barker for the fifth race against Prada
4
2013 - The Oracle comeback
The greatest comeback in America's Cup history, & one of the best across all sports. Oracle's 8 - 1 recovery from 8 - 1 down was astonishing. For Kiwis. It was agonizing to watch - not helped by the fact Oracle's financial resources seemed limitless & they had just one American on their starting crew. But as a sporting feat, it had to be admired. Oracle skipper Spithill refused to give up, showing remarkable bravado after losing the 10th race to go 8 - 1 down. "I think the question is imagine if these guys lost from here" said Spithill "What an upset that would be. They have almost got it in the bag. "That's my motivation. That would be one hell of a story, that would be one hell of a comeback & that's the sort of thing that I'd like to be a part of." In what could have been the deciding race. Aotearoa built a massive lead in light winds & were on course to claim the decisive point, before the race was abandoned after the time limit had expired. After that Oracle seemed faster each day, especially upwind. At 8 - 8, New Zealand led the winner-takes-all race until the upwind third leg but couldn't hold on, with Oracle sailing into sporting immortality by a margin of 44 seconds. A nation cried "Bugger" tweeted Prime Minister John Key. "It's very hard to fathom." said Barker "Look back two weeks...The gains they have made were phenomenal. We're probably lucky they didn't do it earlier" "I am so proud of the boys" reflected Spithill, who had sailors from seven countries in his 11-man crew "We were looking down the barrel of a gun"
3
1983 - "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum"
Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke's quip perfectly summed up the mood of a nation celebrating like anything before. Hawke, along with millions of his countrymen, had watched Australia II clinch the America's Cup with a tense final victory, beamed back to the Southern Hemisphere in the early hours of the morning. Skipper John Bertrand & his crew achieved what seemed an impossible feat, wresting the Auld Mug away from the clutches of the Americans. They had done it in the best possible way, coming back from a 3 - 1 deficit to take the best-of-seven series. Hawke stopped short of declaring a public holiday - only because he didn't have the constitutional power to do so - but made it clear it was a time for national festivities. The New York Yacht Club had held the America's Cup for 132 years, the longest winning streak in sports history. Australia had mounted six campaigns since 1962, spearheaded by Sir Frank Packer (Twice) & Alan Bond (3 times) & had won the Louis Vuitton Cup 5 times to earn the right to challenge, but all had ended in defeat & disappointment on the waters of Newport, off Rhode Island. Australia II sported a winged keel, one of several design-led innovations by Ben Lexcen that gave an edge. But the key was in the hardened sailing team, led by Bertrand, that maintained an unshakable belief. In the first instance of an America's Cup series going into the final race. Dennis Conner was ahead until the penultimate leg, when his failure to cover the Australians, who picked the correct wind shifts, took them ahead. In the final leg, Conner threw the kitchen sink - with nearly 50 tacks - but Australia II held strong & won by 41 seconds.
2
2017 - The return of the America's Cup
That was redemption for New Zealand as a sailing nation. After the desperate disappointment of 2013, the fine margins of 2007 & the disaster of 2003, the emphatic victory in Bermuda was a wonderful triumph. It was made sweeter by beating Spithill & his mega-funded Oracle team. Team New Zealand had been revitalized with new blood, principally Peter Burling & Blair Tuke, & the young sailors seemed free of the baggage of past failures, although they were well led by Glenn Ashby, Bermuda was a far from ideal location, but the 50-foot foiling catamarans were engineering marvels, & wonderful to watch as they flew around the course. Team New Zealand had learned from San Francisco & didn't reveal their full capabilities until it mattered, holding some things back at the preliminaries. But they mastered the art of foiling ahead of everyone else - becoming the first team to complete a race "In the air" & also bounced back from the frightening pitch pole moment against Ben Ainslie Racing in the semifinals, thanks to the outstanding work of the shore crew. The 26-year-old Burling exhibited the mastery of a veteran during the Cup match, which was won by 7 - 1, as he consistently outwitted Spithill. "I don't think we'd be here without the heartache of San Francisco" said Burling, who was sailing in his first America's Cup campaign, after being part of the back-up crew in 2013. "It's unreal, this is exactly what we came here to do. I'm just on top of the world. It's been three years of hard work, probably 100 people working at one time at this goal"
1
1995 - "The America's Cup is now...New Zealand's Cup"
For those who experienced it, few will forget where they were when the news came through: New Zealand had won the America's Cup. It was bigger than the 1987 Rugby World Cup - and arguably even more meaningful than the 2011 triumph on home soil. It was a race that actually stopped a nation. During the regatta many Kiwis were getting to work late after watching the morning action live & 92 per cent of New Zealand's population tuned in to the blanket coverage of the final race & the extended celebrations that followed. Many of them wearing red socks, after a fundraising campaign sparked by Blake's revelation that he wore his lucky pair on the boat. It was the perfect campaign, by the perfect team. Blake was a wonderful leader, & Coutts (Skipper) & Butterworth (Tactician) were probably at their peak. And the boat NZL32, was a beauty. Tactically, the team didn't put a foot wrong, especially with the decision to rely on their second boat (NZL38) until the Louis Vuitton semifinals, keeping the speed of their top vessel under wraps. They were still good enough to dominate the round robin (23 wins from 24 races), then eclipsed OneAustralia 5-1 in the Louis Vuitton Cup final. The defenders tried everything before the cup match, with Conner allowed to lead the effort to defend the Cup (Despite losing the semifinal) & being permitted to use his rival's boat (Young America), which was faster. But it was no avail. During the Cup series, Black Magic lead around all 30 marks in a comprehensive display, with the closest margins being 1m 50s. The winning delta in the second race was 4m 14s, the greatest margin of defeat for an American defender since 1871. On May 14, 1995, Black Magic won the final race, taking control of the first leg after Young America had made a promising start. "They had a fabulous campaign," reflected Conner "If the Cup had to leave San Diego, there could be no better home for it than Auckland. This team really earned it & I know they will enjoy it & take good care of it. New Zealand can be proud of its heroes" Over the next few hours, about 500 bottles of Moet Champagne were downed at the New Zealand base. "[I'm] not really fit to tell you anything right now...which I hope is understandable" quipped Blake. New Zealand celebrated for days, with 250,000 people lining Queen St for the victory parade, at a time when Auckland's population was barely a million.
So that is my 400th blog of the year 2021 (MMXXI) & my 20th of this year.
P.S. And here is my top 3 America's Cup moments since I was born in 1991 (Before this years regatta)
3: Team New Zealand winning the America's Cup in 1995 against the Dennis Conner led Stars & Stripes aboard the Young America yacht on the 13th of May (Mother's day back in New Zealand on the 14th of May)
2: Team New Zealand defending the America's Cup in 2000 against the Francesco de Angelis led Prada Luna Rossa Challenge of Italy on the 2nd of March
& 1: Emirates Team New Zealand winning the America's Cup in 2017 against the Jimmy Spithill led all-Australian crew of Oracle Team USA on the 26th of June (27th of June back home in New Zealand).
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