Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

America's Cup: Challengers frustrated over continued Kiwi border ban despite exceptions

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz 21 May 2020 03:31 PDT
American Magic prepares for a test sailing session - January 2020 - Pensacola, Florida © Will Ricketson

The America's Cup Challenger's frustration with being unable to get answers on their entry process into New Zealand in July/August, boiled over today in the lead item in the mainstream sports news.

Currently New Zealand has closed borders - a measure necessary to get the spread of the coronavirus under control.

However now the country reports zero new cases and the five week long lockdown measures are being eased.

Following the cancellation of the two America's Cup World Series regattas in Cagliari and Portsmouth, three teams are looking to re-organise their programs around an earlier entry into New Zealand to build up for the now third America's Cup World Series Regatta in Auckland in mid-December, followed by the start of the Prada Cup or Challenger Selection Series in mid-January 2021.

Already the teams have invested in coming to Auckland with American Magic, loading an AC75 and containers this week for Auckland. INEOS Team UK are well advanced with their base construction in Auckland at a cost reported as $7million.

The story was lead item on the prime-time sports news in New Zealand with Skype interviews with INEOS Team UK's Grant Simmer and NYYC American Magic's Terry Hutchinson.

Earlier in the day, Grant Robertson, Minister of Finance and Minister of Sport, revealed that despite the official policy of closed borders the NZ Government did have the ability, and had made exceptions. "There was an urgent need to fix a gas pipeline, and they needed specialists. We can grant exemptions for that kind of thing," Robertson said. "Now we have to say as we move down the alert levels - "what do we do for the likes of the America's Cup?".

"That work is underway and we have been talking to Team New Zealand and we hope to have some announcements to make about that soon."

When questioned by Magic Talk's Peter Williams, a highly experienced sports commentator, as to the meaning of "soon"? "Within the next month?", Williams asked.

"Obviously they [the teams] want to be in here in the next couple of months. We need to be able to at least give them a response before that time.

"As I said we are working through that, and not just for the America's Cup. I know it is an important event for New Zealand but we also have to have consistent criteria."

Several other major world championships for womens cricket and rugby are also due to be held in New Zealand in 2021, and will have a greater national diversity than the three foreign nations represented in the America's Cup regattas.

Some America's Cup team members who hold NZ passports are believed to be be undergoing a 14-day government supervised quarantine in Auckland. If the so-called "Trans-Tasman" bubble is established between Australia and New Zealand, allowing quarantine free passage between Australia and New Zealand, then it is likely that Australian passport holders, like Luna Rossa's Jimmy Spithill could enter New Zealand without restriction.

Last week a Bill was passed under urgency in the NZ Parliament pertaining to COVID-19 related immigration matters. It would appear to give the Minister of Immigration the power to revoke already issued visas to non-residents seeking to enter New Zealand, but not create an exceptional path for America's Cup teams and others associated with the event.

Emirates Team New Zealand are still awaiting the return of their AC75 from Italy - expected into Auckland in a couple of weeks. In the meantime testing and development continues in their 38ft test boat Te Kaahu, around the islands of the idyllic Hauraki Gulf.

Related Articles

America's Cup: Running silent and deep, again.
A look at the flotsam that has surfaced as the Cup teams again go into deep and silent negotiation. A look at the state of the Cup - given the three weeks of silence since the hasty final Protocol signing. Previously a long deep dive by the teams has indicated that a lot of negotiation is underway. Here's what we've seen floating on the surface. Posted today at 5:58 am
From The Other Side - The State of the Sport
The editors of Sail-World New Zealand and Inside Great Lakes Sailing discuss the state of sailing. The Editors of Inside Great Lakes Sailing and Sail-World New Zealand got together last week to shoot the breeze in an unscripted video discussion, without any pre-arranged "talking points" about various aspects of the sport. Posted on 5 Sep
Youth America's Cup set to continue in Naples
The Youth America's Cup is a sign-post to the future direction of the America's Cup itself. Since its inaugural event in 2013, the Youth America's Cup, designed as a competition for sailors under the age of 25, has always been the most remarkable sign-post to the future direction of the America's Cup itself. Posted on 4 Sep
America's Cup: Carlo's insights 1983-2024
Leading Italian lensman Carlo Borlenghi has been shooting the America's Cups for 41 years Carlo Borlenghi is the go-to photographer for many of the world's top sailing events and has covered every America's Cup since 1983 when he was assigned to the Azzurra team for Italy's first challenge. Posted on 30 Aug
America's Cup: A seismic shift for sailing
For the first time in its 174-year history, female sailors will be mandated onboard AC75s This week's announcement from the America's Cup felt momentous. For the first time in its 174-year history, female sailors will be mandated onboard AC75s at the pinnacle of our sport. Posted on 15 Aug
America's Cup: The Brave, New Protocol
The just announced Protocol for the America's Cup has many innovations and a few fish hooks The just announced Protocol for the America's Cup has many innovations, and maybe a few unintended consequences around the mandatory re-use of 2024 vintage AC75 hulls. Updated with a look at how the new Cup structure could work. Posted on 12 Aug
America's Cup: A "ground breaking" partnership
An innovative Protocol for the 2027 America's Cup has been agreed between RNZYS and RYS An innovative 11th hour Protocol for the 2027 America's Cup has been agreed between the Challenger of Record and the Defender. It creates a commercial framework for the current and future Cups, eases nationality rules, and has a quota for female sailors. Posted on 12 Aug
Cup sailor and commentator dies suddenly
A look at the many achievements and contributions of Peter Lester who died suddenly at 70yrs. It seems like only last month that Peter Lester was being carried shoulder high in his OK Dinghy, up Takapuna Beach, having just won the 1977 World championship, having just won the World championship. . Posted on 9 Aug
America's Cup impasse close to resolution.
The impasse over the Protocol is expected to be resolved next week - meeting in Auckland. The impasse over the Protocol for the 38th America's Cup is expected to be resolved, one way or the other, next week, with a meeting of the parties in Auckland. Posted on 9 Aug
America's Cup: Naples first taste of the Cup
The America's Cup came to Naples in 2012 and 2013 for two of the most memorable regattas. The America's Cup World Series, a multi-city series in the lead up to the 2013 America's Cup regatta in San Francisco, came to Naples in 2012 and 2013 for two of the most memorable regattas. Posted on 7 Aug
McDYachts_Pyewacket-for-Sale_1456x180 BOTTOMHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeZhik 2024 December