Please select your home edition
Edition
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP TOP

America's Cup: ETNZ give a glimpse of 2024 strategy as seven AC37 crew line up in Sydney

by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 15 Dec 2021 18:39 PST 16 December 2021
SailGP fleet at the start of a practice fleet race ahead of Australia Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG. 16 December © Brett Costello/SailGP

The current America's Cup champions, Emirates Team New Zealand are maybe revealing something of their strategy for the 2024 America's Cup, with the deployment of seven crew sailing across two of the SailGP teams.

With no sailing permitted amongst the established Cup teams until September 2022, SailGP offers the best racing for professional crews at this time. ETNZ's sailing crew were not race sharp going into the last America's Cup, and were at three wins apiece with challengers Luna Rossa after six races, despite the Kiwis reckoning their boat was 3kts faster than their competition.

"We have brought in Glenn Ashby to help with the coaching," SailGP Japan's skipper Nathan Outteridge, told the SailGP media conference earlier today.

"Getting Glenn to help us out, was something I have been working on for the whole season. Glenn is in Melbourne and rode his bike up this week to give us a few tips on how we can improve small things."

"It is not a rewrite of the program, as currently we are going quite well."

"But having someone like Glenn here to give us a few tips, and really help the younger members of our team - and give them the confidence to keep improving. If we can come through this event with a good performance that will build our confidence for San Fran."

Outteridge confirmed that he had moved Japanese Olympic representative in the 49er class, Leonard Takahashi-Fry, into the flight controller's position, replacing Francesco Bruni (ITA) - ahead of a nationality tightening nationality requirement ahead of Season 3. A top match racer, Takahashi-Fry is also eligible to sail for NZ under the AC37 Protocol.

Nathan Outteridge was confirmed a month or so ago as a signing for the Emirates Team NZ. Although of Australian nationality, he was in Auckland as a member of the TV commentary team for the last America's Cup and owns a house in the North Shore seaside suburb of Devonport. While Ashby is in as a coach this round, his role could be extended for the final round which carries a winner take all $1million first prize, or for the Season 3 of the Cup. Ashby was also signed for AC37, a couple of months ago, by Emirates Team new Zealand.

There has been no word on the future of AC36 ETNZ helmsman Peter Burling and Flight Controller Blair Tuke. Developments this week with the second F1 team being involved in what will undoubtedly be a high profile America's Cup, make the event very hard for the pair to sit out. Most of the discussions are likely to hinge around fitting their other commitments - training with Emirates Team NZ, SailGP, their conservation trust, Live Oceans, and possibly an Olympic program.

This week several British Olympic sailors announced they would not be competing in Paris 2024 - with the America's Cup being an obvious drawcard for at least two of them Giles Scott and Hannah Mills already part of Ben Ainslie's UK SailGP team. Tokyo2020 Gold medalist Stuart Bithell (UK) in the 49er class, was another to announce his Olympic exit - destination unknown.

It was obvious from a reading of the Protocol, and the announcement of the Swiss challenge, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, that the Burling and Tuke cannot sail for Switzerland, and Alinghi team will be built around Alinghi's World Champion GC32 team.

There are five members of the ETNZ AC36 sailing team aboard Burling and Tuke's NZSailGP team - Burling and Tuke, Finn Gold Cup winners Josh Junior and Andy Maloney, and ETNZ grinder Louis Sinclair.

There are two practice sessions in SailGP Sydney, Thursday and Friday, with the series being sailed on Saturday and Sunday on Sydney harbour.

Related Articles

America's Cup: Luna Rossa's Challenge accepted
According to local media the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted by the Kiwis. Leading America's Cup journalist, Fabio Pozzo, reports that the Italian team, Luna Rossa has had its Challenge accepted for the 2027 Cup in Naples. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: ETNZ's design boss on new AC75 Rule
Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on recycled AC75 hulls, electric power and other rule changes. Kiwi design chief, Dan Bernasconi on the use of recycled AC75 hulls, the switch to full electric power, and other changes. He claims there is plenty of performance gain left in the AC75 for the designer teams. Posted on 12 Sep
America's Cup: Class Rule and Tech Regs out
The America's Cup Class Rule and Technical Regulations for the Naples Match have been published With the clock ticking down to the start of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in Naples in 2027, the AC75 Class Rules and Technical Regulations have been issued to all teams and published with a focus on cost containment. Posted on 11 Sep
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 on 10 Sep
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
Mackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMPalm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo M75