The defender is looking for a third straight US Cup

America’s Cup Defender, Emirates team is New ZealandChallenger (Challenger) is waiting for the winner in the selection series The 37th America’s Cup will be held in Barcelona in September 2024. The Kiwis have been guaranteed a place in the tournament (the final) in October 2024 and are a formidable hurdle to overcome for any team aspiring to win the world’s oldest international sporting trophy.

New Zealand, as a country, is always ahead Since 1987, the modern era of the America’s Cup has presented innovative and extreme challenges that came close to victory in 1987, 1988 and 1992. When everything changed The late Sir Peter Blake designed a successful program in 1995, renaming it ‘Team New Zealand’. and promoting a pool of skilled seafarers. That year, in San Diego, California, the team nicknamed the ‘Black Magic’ scored a historic 5-0 victory over the legendary American sailor. Dennis Connor and took the America’s Cup to Auckland in 2000 to successfully defend her in local waters.

After losing the trophy Controversially in 2003, Three editions later, the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda saw the Royal New Zealand Yachtsmen and another talented young team of Kiwis recapture the trophy. Today we know the America’s Cup with powerful monohull boiling sailboats, replacing catamarans in 2017. The Emirates team’s 2021 Cup defense with New Zealand has been exciting Luna Rosa is more than Prada Pirelli In a thrilling 7-3 match, international spectators were barred from attending after the Covid-affected regatta.

Barcelona, ​​the perfect place

The future now passes during Barcelona’s 37th Copa America Grant Dalton, enigmatic team leader and promoter of the event, He left no doubt about his decision to choose the Catalan capital for the premier regatta in the sailing world. “Since negotiations began after the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland, Barcelona turned out to be the perfect destination. He faced stiff competition from some serious candidates from other parts of the world. But still Barcelona is a city, its officials, people, culture and we couldn’t be happier with the consequences of having the America’s Cup in Europe. From an organizational perspective, we are very impressed, It fits very well with the culture and attitude of our team, and the way we have worked together, all the Copa America teams will be in Barcelona this summer, with practically built platforms”.

The Emirates team spent the New Zealand southern summer at the Antipodes in Auckland. She trained hard with her two AC40s before bringing back the trophy-winning boat, her heavily modified AC75 Te Rehutai, To carry out some navigational tests in the Hauraki Gulf, in which they achieved impressive speeds.

On the Emirates team’s winter training in New Zealand, Its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Kevin Shoebridge, Comment: “It’s been a good (Australian) summer. We’ve been very busy and the team hasn’t stopped There is a lot to learn about handling the new AC40s, which was fantastic, then the decision to get the AC75 back in the water overdue, and the team has responded. I can never stress enough that this is a “team”, no superstars or egos, it’s all about improving little by little and everyone doing their job to the best of their ability. We have appointed a new helmsman and conducted extensive testing to find the best cyclists (cyclists) in various sports. The design office is very busy and now we’re all focused on getting to Barcelona.”

Navigating the Barcelona waterfront can be challenging

He says New Zealanders are looking forward to getting to and from Barcelona Shoe bridge: “It’s challenging in many ways, but when you hire highly skilled employees, you expect the work to be good. Yes, we know the waters well, many of us have sailed in various classes over the years and know it Wind and sea conditions can sometimes be challenging for sailors. But it’s the America’s Cup, it’s the pinnacle of sailing, and I know the whole team is excited to be immersed in its culture and connect with fans in one of the world’s greatest capitals. It will be a great experience for everyone on the team, and the goal will be the same: to defend the America’s Cup and win the triathlon, Three consecutive wins, that’s the goal ”.

Grant DaltonIn his role as CEO of the America’s Cup event, he played a decisive role in launching the first two preliminary regattas, the first of which will be held this September at Villanova I la Geldreau, where all America’s Cup teams will face each other for the Cup. Another for the first time. Dalton A Close Regatta Awaits: “Without a doubt, No one will want to miss this first race, but the AC40s will be very close in a strict one-design design And it will be the first indicator of where each team stands in the America’s Cup. Emirates team New Zealand will win.”

One of the priorities on Dalton’s schedule is to spread the word of the America’s Cup and promote it as the pinnacle event in world sport through projects ranging from supporting the blue economy to hydrogen yachts. Locating the first regatta in Vilanova i la Geldru, 35 kilometers from Barcelona, ​​is the first step in a wider commitment to both Catalonia and Spain, says Dalton: “Vilanova i la Geldru is an amazing place. Our goal continues to be spreading the message of the America’s Cup throughout Catalonia and Spain. We brought the America’s Cup to Europe to enable and engage the widest possible audience, and we are delighted with the agreement signed with Vilanova i La Geldreu and their enthusiasm for the tournament. It will be a great introductory regatta with great facilities.”

Outteridge and Burling, a pair of helmsmen

One of the key partnerships in the 37th America’s Cup, and one that all the challengers will be watching with interest, is the new helmsman pair of Emirates Team New Zealand. Created by Australian Nathan Outteridge and Cup-winning New Zealander Pete Burling. Both are Olympic gold medalists, Outteridge at the 2012 London Games and Burling at the 2016 Beijing Games, and both have been match race world champions (Outteridge in 2014 and Burling in 2015).

Burling is the best helmsman in the 2021 America’s Cup He was also in charge when the Kiwis won the cup against the Americans in Bermuda in 2017. At the time, the boats had only one helmsman, but the Italians have changed the dynamics by betting on twin wheels in the 2021 America’s Cup, and this is expected to be followed by all the teams facing Barcelona. The Emirates quickly signed New Zealander Outridge, He fit well into the team’s structure during winter training.