Team New Zealand hails 鈥榬ocketship鈥
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Team New Zealand thanked its designers and engineers for creating a 鈥渞ocketship鈥 of a yacht that secured the America鈥檚 Cup yesterday but admitted there was some trepidation as to how the boat would perform at the start of the match.
TNZ wrapped up a 7-3 victory over Luna Rossa with a 46-second victory in race 10, savoring a triumphant defense of the 鈥楢uld Mug鈥 in home waters, four years after reclaiming it with victory over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know what was going to happen when we got off the start line on race one of the America鈥檚 Cup,鈥 TNZ鈥檚 trimmer Glenn Ashby told reporters.
鈥淩eally the whole way through, you wake up every morning thinking what鈥檚 the day going to bring.
鈥淲e had a rocketship of a boat (but) it took us a little while to work out the modes against these (Luna Rossa) guys over here. They probably worked out our modes maybe earlier than we did and they certainly used their strengths that they had.
鈥淪o for us to come through in the end was really down to a fantastic design team and engineering shore team.
鈥淵es, we had to sail the boat but we also had to get around the track well.鈥
Along with Ashby, helmsman Peter Burling soaked up his second America鈥檚 Cup win after piloting TNZ to the 7-1 win in Bermuda.
The 30-year-old Olympic gold medalist found it hard to compare the victories four years apart but revelled in the cruise back to shore as a fleet of spectator boats escorted 鈥楾e Rehutai鈥 to the harbor.
鈥淭o see the way COVID-19 has changed the normality of the way we live, to be able to still have an event like this is full credit to everyone that lives here, the government and for everyone trying to keep our country COVID-free,鈥 he said.
It was also a triumph for veteran team manager Grant Dalton, who revived New Zealand鈥檚 America鈥檚 Cup program after the team鈥檚 failed defense in 2003.
Dalton took the country to the brink of success at the 2007 and 2013 America鈥檚 Cups before the long-awaited breakthrough in Bermuda.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a big deal here, I鈥檓 very proud. Bermuda was a watershed moment but it鈥檚 so much better as we鈥檙e home,鈥 said the 63-year-old. 鈥淚t is a big moment but it鈥檚 a relief too that we got it done. It鈥檒l sink in as the days go by but it鈥檚 back to work pretty quickly, I鈥檇 imagine.鈥
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