Champagne, sirens and elation as Kiwis Win

by Suzanne McFadden on 18 Feb 2009
As a little boy mopped up the champagne spray off the prize-giving stage at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series race village, and a jubilant Emirates Team New Zealand crew hugged family and friends, Bruno Troublé vowed he would bring the event back to Auckland.

The city’s harbour erupted with boat horns and cheers as the host team scored a decisive 3-1 victory over top challenger Alinghi, the scene reminiscent of Auckland’s halcyon Cup days of 2000.

'We achieved 53 races in two weeks, we stuck to the schedule and we had a great winner… I think we will come back now. Maybe even next year,' an elated Troublé, co-ordinator of this first Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, announced.

'For sure it was a simple concept but we worked a lot on the details, and this is why the event has been such a success. The average time difference between the boats was under 30s per race, so it was very close racing, and there were lots of changes in the leaders.

'We started to talk to Alinghi again, we shared some beers with everyone, and maybe we can talk some more now to help bring the America’s Cup back on track.'

Louis Vuitton went a step closer to returning to Auckland when it yesterday secured premises in the city to store the event buoys, banners and branding.

Like a swarm of bees, a flotilla of inflatable boats chased the Emirates Team New Zealand boat after it crossed the finishline; the first chaseboat to pull alongside NZL84 carried Yves Carcelle, the CEO and president of Louis Vuitton, who was armed with a Balthazar of Moët et Chandon champagne for the victorious skipper Grant Dalton.

Champagne spray mixed with sea spray as the black boat slipped back into the inner harbour and then waited its turn to enter the Viaduct Harbour, where the Royal New Zealand Artillery Band was playing victory songs.

Emirates Team New Zealand continued to wait outside as spectator boats poured into the Viaduct – among them New Zealand’s 1992 Cup boat NZL20. When the other black boat, NZL92, brought Alinghi back to shore, the crowd applauded but held back their loudest cheers for the winners.

The commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Scott Colebrook, presented Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth with the specially-crafted trophy for the winner of the challenger series, and Butterworth could not have been more complimentary of the regatta. 'We were lucky to have guys like [ETNZ COO] Kevin Shoebridge and the shore crew to keep the boats going 100 percent. Team New Zealand sailed incredibly well, the boats held together, and the breezed made it incredibly exciting. I love it here, and everyone else had a fantastic time here too,' he said.

As the Emirates Team New Zealand crew finally pulled into the dock, the crowd that lined the wharves around the Viaduct Harbour erupted into rapturous cheers, clapping and whistles, while boats blew their horns.

Carcelle presented Dalton with the stunning Louis Vuitton Pacific Series trophy and then congratulated the New Zealanders on a long-awaited victory over the Swiss team. 'In 2007 in Valencia, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Cup but they didn’t finish the job. They met a much stronger competitor in Alinghi who won the America’s Cup one more time. So in order to celebrate sailing in Auckland we had to invent a new trophy and that was the Pacific Series.

'I really would like to thank New Zealand as the fantastic host of the event and the people of Auckland and New Zealand for being so responsive. I would also like to thank the committee and the volunteers, and Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW Oracle for lending their boats. I was a great two weeks, lots of fun on the water, and we had a fantastic winner.'

Dalton replied by also thanking his countrymen and women for their support 'and for keeping the faith – we are just so delighted. Bruno you are amazing, mate.' To which Troublé hollered: 'We will be back, we will be back!', before diving off the stage for cover as another round of Moët spraying began.

As the celebrations continued, the Emirates Team New Zealand shore team were hard at work, unpacking the boats and drying the sails – as they have done every night for the last two weeks. On Monday morning it will be work as usual for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series champions, who will launch their new TP52 boat so they can continue to do what they love and what they proved they excel at – sailing.