America's Cup: What drove Team New Zealand's America’s Cup success

In the end the fight for the oldest trophy in world sport, the Auld mug, was a one-sided affair. Team New Zealand had less experience and a smaller war chest but they were able to blow holders Oracle Team USA out of the Bermuda water to claim a famous America’s Cup win.

The joint most successful skipper in America’s Cup history, Jimmy Spithill, fought valiantly in search of three consecutive crowns but ultimately, and by his own admission, his crew was out manoeuvred. “I don’t see any weaknesses in their campaign,” the Australian helmsman revealed after the final race of the regatta.

No exploitable weaknesses perhaps, but there was also a host of strengths that propelled the lesser-funded foiler to victory:

Harnessing heartbreak

The New Zealand syndicate had almost a total cleanout after their heartbreaking defeat in San Francisco four years ago. Just skipper Glenn Ashby remained in the on-water line-up so there was little lingering doubt or emotional baggage amongst the sailing personnel.

The Australian skipper was able to channel his own disappointment to drive the new faces of the team forward. “It is a hell of a lot nicer walking up to dais winning the event than coming second that is for sure,” said Ashby. “It has been a massive few years for the team. We have experienced a huge rollercoaster ride.”

According to his countryman and rival skipper, Spithill, Ashby was vital to the New Zealand team’s success. “As bitter as it is for me to lose this cup, I certainly feel happy for Glenn and those guys who were able to come back, face those demons and pull it off,” said Spithill.

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As well as experienced campaigners, the defender was also able to draw on exceptional raw talent. Headlining the new guard was Peter Burling, who tasted success in the Youth America’s Cup in 2013. At 26 he became the youngest helmsman in history to chart his team towards victory. “We are blown away that we could get the job done today,” said the Rio Olympic gold medallist.

Pedal power

A sneak attack was never going to be enough to catch the well-resourced, two-time champion Oracle off-guard. Team New Zealand needed to rely on innovation to be successful according to the team’s CEO, Grant Dalton. “We knew we couldn’t outspend them,” Dalton said after the regatta. “If they had to outspend us 5-1, or 7-1 they would. So we had to outthink them.”

The best example of this innovation was the decision to opt for a bicycle system – or a “cycle grinder” to harness leg drive over arm spinning to power the flying catamarans. The only team to adopt such a tactic from launch, it allowed the New Zealand sailors the use of their arms for trimming, enhancing their efficiency for other tasks across the entrant.

It was a technical advantage Oracle couldn’t match – despite deploying a cycle to one station, before dropping it ahead of the final race. The reality was New Zealand led the way in finding the competitive advantage. “I think they made a lot of smart decisions. It is really impressive when you look at their campaigns over the years, just how innovative they have been,” said Spithill.

Late to the line

The last entry to arrive on the Bermuda Sound, the New Zealand yacht did things her own way from the outset. Opting to train on familiar waters rather than taper up under the watchful eye of the five competing nations helped the eventual challenger stay under the radar.

“To come to Bermuda quite late and with a fairly aggressively designed package, against all odds, to pull this victory off is an immensely proud moment for myself and the rest of the team and New Zealand as a country,” Ashby said. “The foresight we had as a team to be aggressive and be bold in our design philosophy has ultimately provided us with the victory here today.”

Poker faces

Team New Zealand’s campaign could have easily been derailed in the semi-final after a spectacular capsize against the British entrant, BAR. While the three sailors ended up in the water nobody was injured – just dented egos and damage to the boat.

The foils were significantly impacted in the touchdown and daggerboards on the craft had also been placed under strain in an earlier encounter. Both could have given way at any stage. Even so the crew pushed their boat to the maximum every race, the full extent of the damage to the structure shrouded from their competitors with some steely poker faces.

While the challenger was under constant scrutiny from the defender Oracle, the underdog’s shore team was able to nurse the catamaran from anything that could have derailed her shot at victory.

“They were worried from day one that we were out of the blocks,” said Ashby. “A lot of things we kept to ourselves. But ultimately that has given us the chance to be successful today.”

Staying loyal

With Oracle Team USA’s budget similar to that of a Nascar outfit there would have been no shortage of financial enticements for Kiwi sailors to jump ship for more lucrative opportunities. However the eventual winner kept most of the team together for the duration of their four-year campaign – losing just one boat designer to a competing entrant.

There was no loyalty bonus, or performance incentive – just camaraderie according to the winning skipper - “I go to work with people that I am very happy to sit with and have a beer with at the end of the day.”