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Team New Zealand Retains America’s Cup by Beating Luna Rossa

A syndicate representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron won sailing’s biggest prize for the second time in a row.

By Andrew Das

For days, the Italian racing boat pursued its rival from New Zealand in the America’s Cup. Sometimes, the Italians looked for an advantage by cutting in as close as safety allowed. Other times, they veered as far away as the course allowed, seeking an edge by giving it rival a wide berth.

Both teams had millions of dollars at their disposal. Both teams had expert crews. But, as in most sailing races, the outcome eventually came down to one simple fact: New Zealand’s boat was faster.

“At times,” said Jimmy Spithill, the co-helmsman for the Italians, “it felt we were taking a knife to a gunfight.”

Team New Zealand retained the America’s Cup on Wednesday, speeding away from its Italian challenger Luna Rossa to claim sailing’s biggest prize in its home waters off Auckland. The victory was the second in a row for a syndicate representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, and the fourth win in the finals since 1995 for a team from New Zealand.

It also marked the second victory in a row for Team New Zealand’s 30-year-old helmsman, Peter Burling, who added another title to a résumé that already includes nine world championships and Olympic gold and silver medals.

“It means the world to us and the team,” Burling told Radio New Zealand, the national public broadcaster.

New Zealand’s clinching race victory came two days after it seized the momentum in a taut competition by exploiting its speed advantage to pick up back-to-back wins on Monday. It won again on Tuesday and Wednesday, when it became the first to reach seven wins.

The clinching race on Wednesday began evenly, with the two boats battling closely. But slightly better tacking and slightly better speed gave New Zealand a seven-second lead at the end of the first leg. From then on, New Zealand slowly and methodically extended its advantage. Every Luna Rossa effort to close the gap was in vain.

The final margin was 46 seconds. The final score in the competition was 7-3.

The Kiwis’ victory ended one of the most unusual editions of the America’s Cup, which was first contested in 1851. This year’s races took place without their usual huge crowds of visiting spectators, many of whom had been kept away by strict coronavirus restrictions that had effectively closed New Zealand’s borders to noncitizens. The racing schedule also had to be modified several times to accommodate stringent — and changing — lockdown rules that at times forced delays in the competition.

The entrants were unlike any that preceded them, too. This year’s America’s Cup was contested by a new class of boat: sleek, 75-foot foiling monohulls which — when raised out of the water and riding above the waves on their spider-like foils — were capable of speeds of as much as 60 miles an hour. The boats did not so much slice through the water as glide above it. And none did that better than Team New Zealand.

But there were subtle distinctions that only the racing could reveal. The Kiwis had emphasized speed in their racing boat’s design, with a flatter hull and smaller foils that minimized drag as its cut through the water. Luna Rossa’s larger foils offered advantages in stability and maneuverability, and the Italians used weeks of challenger races to hone the tactics they put to use several times in the finals. But speed proved to be the difference, and Team New Zealand simply had more of it.

“Deservedly champions,” Spithill said of his opponents after the series ended.

Still, he admitted, he had a few regrets.

“I believe we left some wins on the table,” he told reporters. “But that’s sport, and I truly believe the better team won.”

Over the first six races of the finals, the mantra had been a simple one: Win the start, win the race. In each of those races, the team that was first across the starting line was also the first to reach the finish line. The largely drama-free racing had showcased the skills of the teams and the precision of their boats, but it also led to an unwelcome accusation: that the finals were boring .

That changed on Monday. Taking advantage of shifting winds and unleashing the speed that many suspected it had not yet fully shown, Team New Zealand surged from behind to win consecutive races, breaking the tie and giving the team a 5-3 lead. The Kiwis added a fourth straight win on Tuesday , and suddenly the prize for years of planning and millions of dollars in investment felt close enough to touch.

“This team’s been in this position before,” Burling said after moving within one win of the seven New Zealand needed to claim the trophy. “We just want to keep improving, keep moving forward and we’re really excited about another race.”

Light winds had forced the teams to abandon the second race on Tuesday, when New Zealand seemed poised to seal its triumph, but that only delayed what many by then saw as the inevitable. Even as Luna Rossa lamented another “painful” defeat on Tuesday, its co-helmsman Francesco Bruni found no fault in his team’s performances.

Team New Zealand, he seemed to be saying, had simply been faster.

“I think we did a fantastic race honestly,” Bruni said. “No regrets.”

Mike Ives contributed reporting.

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Salt in our Blood: 150 years of the RNZYS

Click here for Back Issues 

Ivor Wilkins describes it like an archaeological dig, sifting through the various layers to interpret 150 years of history of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

What Wilkins has produced in Salt in our Blood  is a richly-illustrated, 464 page, coffee table publication worthy of the club's proud history, dating back to the foundations of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in 1871.

Putting the book together was a monumental task, and involved combing through 14,000 items which had been transferred, rather haphazardly, onto CD-roms, hundreds of spidery, hand-written accounts dating back to the mid-1800s and countless interviews with those involved over the last 60 years.

"I would like to say all of the records were well organised but it was like stumbling through a dark forest and finding little treasures here, there and everywhere," Wilkins said.

"I was hoping the project would be done in two years. We'd allowed three and it took all three of those years and, even then, it was a bit of a push in the end to get it done."

There were a few minor skeletons rattling in the cupboard: employees with fingers in the till; members poaching oysters; causing a ruckus in quiet anchorages; chasing livestock; shots fired in the clubrooms; hooking the piecart to passing trams; the time it took for the Squadron to admit women as members. 

But what resonates more throughout is the hard work many put in to building the club and the sport in this country. Wilkins is careful to balance this and the contribution of the broad membership throughout Salt in our Blood  with the success the club achieved internationally.

It's not hyperbole to suggest the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is the most successful yacht club in this country, having won anything and everything from the America's and Admirals Cups through to the One Ton Cup and Olympic titles.

"To a large degree, the story of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is the story of New Zealand yachting," Wilkins said. "That's not to claim that every major campaign was won by Yacht Squadron campaigns but most of them were and almost all of them involved Squadron members in some way or other. 

"I think our trophy cabinet is unrivalled in the world. If not, it would rank alongside the other major yacht clubs and it's something our members can be very proud of.

"What did come as a surprise to me was the extent to which the Squadron helped lay the groundwork for New Zealand’s Olympic success... and t he Squadron also took a leadership role in the establishment of the New Zealand Yachting Federation, without which Olympic participation could not take place."

Salt in our Blood is available from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's shop (when the club reopens) and online here .

The following is an edited extract from Salt in our Blood , tracing the origins of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in 1871.

For the best part of a century and half, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has taken 1871 as the date earlier faltering efforts at setting up a yacht club finally took hold. Part of this conviction arises from a club legend recounted by Noel Holmes in his book Century of Sail , published in 1971 as an official history of the RNZYS. With some equivocation, he relates that after the 1871 Anniversary Regatta prizegiving, a group of keen yachtsmen gathered at the Thames Hotel and decided that a one-day regatta every 12 months was not sufficient for their needs.

Urged out onto the street at the 11 p.m. closing time, members of the group continued their deliberations under the light of a gas lamp. And thus, the legend goes, the Auckland Yacht Club was born anew.

Regrettably, no documentary evidence has been unearthed to fix the date of this meeting or identify its participants. That does not mean it did not happen, however. Many a lasting enterprise — both magnificent and madcap — has originated in a bar-room conversation, or its post-eviction resumption. But something more tangible and formal than dim memories of an alcohol-fuelled, gas-lit meeting would clearly be helpful.

It is entirely possible that some documentation recording a formal follow-up to this discussion went up in flames in one of the two fires that destroyed the club’s early records. However, if such a meeting was convened and came to anything, it appears the news was not shouted from the rooftops. No newspaper accounts have been discovered announcing the establishment or revival of the Auckland Yacht Club in 1871. Given the previous encouragement by the Auckland newspapers for a club, one imagines such news would have been broadcast with enthusiasm.

The 1872 Anniversary Regatta would have been the perfect opportunity for a newly-established yacht club to show its colours. But, throughout the extensive and fulsome coverage — ‘success beyond the most sanguine expectation and a regatta on a scale of magnificence such as has never been witnessed previously in New Zealand waters’ ( Auckland Star , January 29, 1872) — no mention is made of the Auckland Yacht Club. Six members of the much-praised 1872 regatta committee featured on the 1859 membership list of the Auckland Yacht Club and could be assumed to have been prime candidates for instigating a new club, but there is no evidence of that.

However, there is evidence of a continued determination to extend yacht racing beyond the annual Anniversary Regatta. In February 1872, a race was organised for yachts over 5 and under 10 tons with vague links to the AYC.

Two of the moving forces behind this event were J. Dacre and John Waymouth, both of whom were associated with the club. Furthermore, the rules of the AYC were used to govern the race, but newspaper accounts do not explicitly identify this as an AYC event.

Thus, whatever seeds had been planted in 1871 apparently lay, if not dormant, at least publicly invisible through much of the ensuing summer. The onset of autumn in March 1872, however, saw a sudden flurry of excitement in the newspaper columns about the formation of an Auckland Yacht Club.

‘It has often struck us with surprise that with our fine harbour and noble estuary, and our many other advantages, we have not long before started a yachting club,’ prodded the Daily Southern Cross on March 11, 1872. Going on to list the manifold qualifications and benefits, not least the impetus a club would provide to the boatbuilding industry, the editorial continues:

‘We believe that many are anxious to become members of such a club, and that it is only the waiting for some one to take the initiative that prevents it from being un fait accompli .’

Sure enough, the very next day, a ‘good attendance’ of gentlemen gathered at the Star Hotel in the city under the chairmanship of John Waymouth, where a motion was proposed and carried to establish a club to be called the Auckland Yacht Club.

Not everyone was impressed by this development. A curmudgeonly letter appeared in the New Zealand Herald on March 13, under the cryptic signature R.Y.Y.C. Expressing the belief that the Daily Southern Cross ‘stands alone in its condition of astonishment’ at the absence of a yacht club, the correspondent said that a city that failed to support a boat club decently (a reference to rowing) was scarcely likely to do better with a yacht club.

Perhaps judging from past experience, the writer doubted a yacht club would last more than two consecutive years, and even more cuttingly cast doubts on the quality of the Auckland fleet. ‘I am unable to call to mind the names of more than two or three of our vessels which could fairly be dignified with the name of yacht.’

Nor did he believe there were enough people with the time or means to go in for yachting. ‘Yachting,’ he lectured, ‘is essentially an expensive amusement, and a yacht club, to be worthy of the name, should be conducted in a liberal spirit and not be in an impecunious condition.’ Bringing his arguments to a withering crescendo, the writer concluded with the scornful advice not to ‘make ourselves ridiculous by attempting impossibilities’.

Fortunately, having answered the call to action, the believers were not deterred by the apparent impossibility of their task. On March 22, at the Thames Hotel, a meeting of the Auckland Yacht Club under the chairmanship of James Stoddart accepted the draft rules and admitted several new members. Further proceedings were adjourned for a week. This time Thomas Henderson was in the chair and Stoddart was elected treasurer. H.E. Ellis was appointed honorary secretary and John Waymouth and G.S. Graham named as auditors. A further meeting for the following week was set to elect the Commodore, Vice Commodore and committee, but there are no follow-up reports of any such election taking place.

On April 18, however, another spark of life. The Auckland Star was ‘greatly gratified to learn that very great success is attending the organisation of the new Yacht Club. Over forty members have already been enrolled, and the list includes a large proportion of the principal merchants and other leading people in the city.’

The newspaper scribe then seems overcome with emotion, gushing that ‘there is something inexpressibly delightful in reclining with dignity, making the wind the minister of our pleasure when lightly skimming over the surface’ of the sea. This is followed by a swooning, if not slightly worrying, spiel about the romance of sailing as ‘angels’ enveloped in clouds of muslin gaze into the skipper’s eyes, or rest for support on his ‘manly buzzum’.

Perhaps understandably exhausted after such an excess of emotion, the paper trail goes cold throughout the ensuing winter, until at last on September 16 it comes to life again in the form of a notice in the Daily Southern Cross announcing: ‘The Annual Meeting [author emphasis] of the Members of the Auckland Yacht Club will be held at the club-room, Thames Hotel, This Evening at 7.30.’ The purpose of the meeting would be the election of officers for the following season and any other business.

The next day, the New Zealand Herald published an account of the meeting. William Aitken was elected Commodore, Charles K. Roskruge Vice Commodore, James Stoddart treasurer, H.J. Ellis honorary secretary, and G.S. Graham and John Waymouth auditors. The committee comprised T. Niccol, J.B. Graham, Thomas Henderson, D. Oxley and J. Marshall.

The paper reported the club had 30 members and said the rules were read and adopted. Displaying a somewhat alarming predilection for calling one meeting after another, the proceedings were adjourned for yet another conclave ‘in a few days’ to arrange the preliminaries for the opening day of the season.

This event duly took place in November, with eight yachts in attendance and the Commodore’s flag flying from John Waymouth’s yacht Energy . The little fleet formed a procession around the harbour until Energy hove to, whereupon the remaining yachts solemnly saluted as they passed and in turn raised three hearty cheers. The Auckland Yacht Club was launched with all due pomp and ceremony.

The momentum continued into December, when the Shipping Intelligence column of the Daily Southern Cross published two items of interest. The first was an announcement that the yachts of the AYC were under orders to assemble the following Saturday at 2 p.m. for the purpose of proceeding on a cruise. The Commodore’s flag would be hoisted on board the yacht Spray .

The second item was to report the results of a match for £10 a side between the new yacht Fleetwing and the yacht Sabrina , both flying AYC colours. Fleetwing , built by Charles Bailey, won handily, but more to the point the match once again demonstrated the AYC’s determination not to be hostage to the Anniversary Regatta.

As to its precise genesis, the Annual Meeting of September 16, 1872 — as much as the charming story of the gas-lamp gathering — appears responsible for fixing the foundation in 1871. Why have an annual meeting unless it marks the passage of a year?

Certainly, every Annual Meeting of the Auckland Yacht Club and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron thereafter takes its numerical order from the first AGM of 1872. Hence, by that logic the AGM of 1971 was the one hundredth, and that of 2021 the one hundred and fiftieth.

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PROTOCOL AND CLASS RULE OF THE 37TH AMERICA’S CUP

The Protocol of the 37th America’s Cup was released today by the Defender, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Emirates Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record - Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and their representative team INEOS Britannia, eight months to the day after Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the America’s Cup.

The Protocol sets the foundations and rules of participation for all teams in the 37th America’s Cup and records the items of mutual consent under the America’s Cup Deed of Gift agreed between the Defender and the Challenger of Record which establishes the basis for a multi challenger event.

Defender Emirates Team New Zealand’s CEO Grant Dalton said: “As we saw with AC36, after 170 years, as the oldest trophy in international sport, the America’s Cup maintains its unique position of balancing the traditions of the Deed of Gift while continuing to push the boundaries of innovation, technology and design in the boats, the event, the broadcast and the commercial aspects of the event.

Maintaining this balance is the ongoing challenge and responsibility of the Defender and Challenger of Record as we aim to progress into the 37th edition of the America’s Cup in the ever-changing environment and demands of global sports as well as a determination to drive sustainability through innovation via hydrogen technology for the marine sector which we both believe is reflected in this Protocol.”

INEOS Britannia CEO and Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie said: “As Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia has sought with the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, to make the next America’s Cup less expensive and more inclusive. The Protocol this time around will see reduced team operating costs without compromising any of the technical development which the Cup is so famous for. There is an opportunity for change, so for AC37 we will see the first Women’s America’s Cup Regatta and we also welcome back the Youth America’s Cup.”

An updated ‘Version 2’ of the AC75 Class Rule has been released from the last America’s Cup which specifies the latest requirements to be compliant with the class rule including modification requirements for new teams buying ‘Version 1 AC75’s’ that were built and used by teams competing in AC36.

Cost reduction has been a key consideration as part of the balance in the development of the AC37 Protocol including:

• Teams are only permitted to build one new AC75. • Limitations on the quantity of foils and componentry that can be built for the AC75’s. • Introduction of the multipurpose One Design AC40 class which teams will be able to convert and use for testing, component development and Match Race training. • AC40 class will then be converted back to the measured One Design AC40 class for use in the exciting new America’s Cup Women’s Regatta and America’s Cup Youth events. These events have been developed to create new accelerated inclusive pathways into the America’s Cup for the growing global talent pool of female and youth sailors. • Race crew onboard the AC75 reduced from 11 to 8 sailors. • Further One design elements. • Shared team recon. • Supplied starting software. • The AC75 class of boat will be maintained for the next two events.

The shared recon programme whilst reducing costs, is also aimed to give America’s Cup fans the inside track on the testing and development on the water by all the teams. The observations will be made public via AC media channels so that fans can stay up to date with the latest developments as they emerge from the sheds throughout the whole of AC37.

With a view to opening the doors and the continued drive to increase the global audience of the America’s Cup and the sport of sailing, a condition of entry to competitors is they agree to be part of a potential behind-the-scenes documentary series. The intention of this is to bring the secrecy, the drama and all the teams’ personalities into the limelight.

There will be up to three Preliminary Regattas, the first two raced in AC40s, the last one at the Match venue in AC75s. The Challenger Selection Series and the America’s Cup Match will be held in 2024, with the Match Venue and approximate event dates to be announced by 31st March 2022.

The Protocol outlines restrictions on when the AC75’s can be sailed. With the anticipated benefit angled towards new Challengers to AC37, existing teams are not permitted to sail their AC75s’ before the 17th September 2022, however new Challengers entering AC37 that have purchased a second hand “Version 1 AC75” are permitted to sail their AC75 for 20 days from 17th June 2022. There are other restricted sailing periods which are provisional and will be confirmed once the Match venue is announced.

The Crew Nationality Rule will require 100% of the race crew for each competitor to either be a passport holder of the country of the team’s yacht club as of 17th March 2021 or to have been physically present in that country (or, acting on behalf of such yacht club in Auckland, the venue of the AC36 Events) for 18 months of the previous three years prior to 17th March 2021. As an exception to this requirement, there will be a discretionary provision allowing a quota of non-nationals on the race crew for competitors from ‘Emerging Nations.’

As part of the ongoing drive for innovation and new clean technology in the America’s Cup, it is now a mandated obligation of all teams to build and operate two hydrogen powered foiling chase boats for their campaign (subject to proof of concept). It’s hoped showcasing proven hydrogen technology in the marine sector will help create a game-changing pathway for the wider industry and lead to a significant reduction in its carbon footprint. These boats must be a minimum of 10 metres long and the usage and performance criteria is set out in the Protocol.

“A significant proportion of the team’s carbon footprints is in their on-water operations, through their long days of testing, development and training,” said Grant Dalton.

“So for the past year we have been researching, designing and are now building a prototype hydrogen-powered foiling chase boat which will have a dramatic effect on the reduction of the team’s carbon footprints, as well as pushing the development of hydrogen in the marine sector.”

Race Management will be entirely independent of the event organisation and will be led by the Regatta Director. The umpires and jury that will manage all on the water rules and disputes for all events.

• The independent Rules and Measurement Committees will be responsible for interpretation of the AC75 Class Rule and the yacht measurement.

• A three-person Arbitration Panel will oversee and deal with all Protocol disputes with published decisions to maintain the integrity of the event. And there will be a new fast-track process to reduce the potential delays in making decisions on disputed items.

AARON YOUNG: Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

“ A lot of work has gone into the AC37 Protocol and we extend our thanks and gratitude to Emirates Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record - the Royal Yacht Squadron and INEOS Britannia - for their hard work and commitment to an exciting 37th America’s Cup.

Clearly the 36th America’s Cup was hugely successful despite the difficulties and huge restrictions due to dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic in New Zealand and globally. But as custodians of the America’s Cup along with Emirates Team New Zealand, it is our responsibility to keep building the event for the good of the America’s Cup, and the sport.

We especially welcome the inclusion of both the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup as part of the protocol and event, and believe these are important developments that will increase participation and inclusion within the America’s Cup going forward. We are also pleased to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation, technology, sustainability, participation, broadcast and the commercial aspects of the event. And so we think we have taken a good step forward in that respect.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will continue to support Team New Zealand as they fulfil their role in the planning, funding and delivery of this AC37 campaign and event.“

ROBERT M. BICKET: Chairman of Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd

“We are delighted with the result of this positive collaboration between the Defender and the Challenger of Record which has resulted in a truly progressive protocol for the 37th America’s Cup designed to promote fair competition and sustainability. Furthermore, we believe that the cost reduction measures and introduction of a women’s and youth event provide new and exciting opportunities within our sport.“

2021 17th November 2021: AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule V2 Published 1st December 2021: Entries for Challengers Open

2022 31st March 2022: Defender to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates 17th June 2022: New competitors may sail Version 1 AC75’s for 20 sailing days 31st July 2022: Entry Period Closes 17th September 2022: Competitors may sail an AC75 Yacht 30th November 2022: ACE to announce race schedule for the Match 30th November 2022: ACE to announce racing area for CSS and Match 31st December 2022: ACE to publish Brand Manual

2023 31st May 2023: Final cut off for late Challenger entries. 30th June 2023: ACE to publish Youth and Women’s AC Agreement 30th June 2023: COR/D to publish Match Conditions 30th November 2023: COR/D to publish CSS Conditions

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND YACHT SQUADRON AND EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND LAUNCH BRAND NEW ELLIOTT 7 FLEET

It’s been 14 years since the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) launched 10 Elliott 7s for the Mastercard Youth Training Programme, and with that fleet now safely delivered to their new owners at Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC), the time has come to launch the brand new boats.

Gifted by Emirates Team New Zealand to support the program that has successfully created world class athletes, including some who are now part of Emirates Team New Zealand, the brand new fleet of Elliott 7s have arrived at their new berths where the next generation of elite athletes will carve their yachting future.

Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand announced to RNZYS members that the new fleet will once again deliver opportunities to young sailors keen to embark on a world of professional sailing.

“We are especially proud and excited about the launch of the new fleet of Elliot 7’s,” explained Grant Dalton.

“As an organisation, our core objective is always firmly focused on one thing - winning the America’s Cup for New Zealand. However, it is always vitally important to continue looking beyond that objective - to the future and ensuring the pipeline of top level kiwi sailing talent is full. So, investing in the new fleet is an investment in New Zealand’s future sailing talent through the world class RNZYS Youth Training Programme.”

The new fleet, fitted out with brand new North Sails and the latest in high performance technology, will not only be utilised for the Mastercard Youth Training Program and the Musto Performance Programme, but also for world class international and local Match Racing events. In addition to this, the fleet will also race on Tuesday evenings as part of the ongoing E7 series, and the support the RNZYS ongoing work to support schools and youth within the community.

Commissioned by Greg Elliott and built under supervision at MConaghy Boats in China, and were fitted out at Yachting Development with the support of past Commodore, Ian Cook and some of the Emirates Team New Zealand shore crew.

RNZYS Vice Commodore and Chair of Sailing, Gillian Williams was part of the delivery crew who sailed the old fleet to BBYC on the afternoon of Friday the 9th February.

“The fleet has done us proud and has produced world class sailors who have gone on to achieve great success around the world and we are excited to now have BBYC take on the boats, so they can enhance their development programs,” said Williams.

“It was time for RNZYS to upgrade with more international sailing and match racing events coming to the shores of the Waitemata Harbour. Now there will be 20 one-design Elliott 7s in Auckland, which means even more opportunities for sailors, and interclub regattas. It’s an exciting time,” continued Williams.

Sailors such as Gavin Brady, Leonard Takahashi, Nick Egnot-Johnson, Megan Thomson, Celia Willison and current Hardy Cup champion helm, Josh Hyde, have gone through the RNZYS Youth Training Program and have achieved results on the world stage ever since.

Dalton continued by saying “this is the kind of legacy that we are determined to leave to the people of Auckland, and New Zealand. Having more one-design match racing boats means greater opportunities for everyone.” 

Dalton also shared the news ,with those gathered to celebrate the launch, that Emirates Team New Zealand will donate $500,000 to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron International Sailing Fund to ensure world leading sailing opportunities on the international stage are available for our membership moving forward.  

Gillian Williams commented ‘that this incredible donation by the team further reinforces their commitment to ensuring the success of our programs and to ensure our sailors can compete on the world stage – we are incredibly grateful to Grant and their team’.

Andrew Aitken, Commodore of RNZYS, is thrilled to be leading the club through the launch of the new Elliott 7 fleet, which is part of the ongoing reset journey the club has undertaken.

“The new fleet of Emirates Team New Zealand Elliott 7’s is a significant milestone for our club, as is the generous contribution to our International Sailing Fund, and these generous donations by Grant Dalton and Emirates Team New Zealand ensure the successful future of our youth offerings as we move forward. In addition to this, being able to have the existing fleet remain in Auckland will be beneficial for the entire sailing community, and we are looking forward to creating more events and racing with the fleets combined,” said Aitken.

“We aim to leave a legacy for the next generation of sailors, and this is an important step in this process,” continued Aitken.

Emirates Team New Zealand, who represent RNZYS, has the America’s Cup proudly on display for members and visitors alike to admire. The America’s Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world, and  have claimed the Auld Mug four  times - 1995, 2000, 2017 and most recently in 2021. Their goal is to successfully defend the America’s Cup for an unprecedented 3 rd time in a row in Barcelona in October of this year.

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AMERICA'S CUP

On March 17th 2021, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, on behalf of the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, accepted the Notice of Challenge for the 37th America’s Cup (AC37) from Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and INEOS BRITANNIA (formerly INEOS TEAM UK) and were announced as the Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup.  This will be the first British Challenger of Record to compete in the America’s Cup  since Tony Boyden’s Sovereign challenge in 1964.

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The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is New Zealand’s leading yacht club, with an illustrious history dating back to our formation in 1871. The RNZYS is still the official home of the America’s Cup after Emirates Team New Zealand, representing the RNZYS, defended the oldest sporting trophy in the world at the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021. The RNZYS has a wide range of events taking place to mark this momentous occasion. With thousands of races per calendar year, many social events and a Members Bar open seven days a week, we invite you to join us and enjoy what we have to offer.

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It’s been 14 years since the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) launched 10 Elliott 7s for the Mastercard Youth Training Programme, and with that fleet now safely delivered to their new owners at Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC), the time has come to launch the brand new boats.

Gifted by Emirates Team New Zealand to support the program that has successfully created world class athletes, including some who are now part of Emirates Team New Zealand, the brand new fleet of Elliott 7s have arrived at their new berths where the next generation of elite athletes will carve their yachting future.

Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand announced to RNZYS members that the new fleet will once again deliver opportunities to young sailors keen to embark on a world of professional sailing.

“We are especially proud and excited about the launch of the new fleet of Elliot 7’s,” explained Grant Dalton.

“As an organisation, our core objective is always firmly focused on one thing – winning the America’s Cup for New Zealand. However, it is always vitally important to continue looking beyond that objective – to the future and ensuring the pipeline of top level kiwi sailing talent is full. So, investing in the new fleet is an investment in New Zealand’s future sailing talent through the world class RNZYS Youth Training Programme.”

The new fleet, fitted out with brand new North Sails and the latest in high performance technology, will not only be utilised for the Mastercard Youth Training Program and the Musto Performance Programme, but also for world class international and local Match Racing events. In addition to this, the fleet will also race on Tuesday evenings as part of the ongoing E7 series, and the support the RNZYS ongoing work to support schools and youth within the community.

Commissioned by Greg Elliott and built under supervision at MConaghy Boats in China, and were fitted out at Yachting Development with the support of past Commodore, Ian Cook and some of the Emirates Team New Zealand shore crew.

RNZYS Vice Commodore and Chair of Sailing, Gillian Williams was part of the delivery crew who sailed the old fleet to BBYC on the afternoon of Friday the 9th February.

“The fleet has done us proud and has produced world class sailors who have gone on to achieve great success around the world and we are excited to now have BBYC take on the boats, so they can enhance their development programs,” said Williams.

“It was time for RNZYS to upgrade with more international sailing and match racing events coming to the shores of the Waitemata Harbour. Now there will be 20 one-design Elliott 7s in Auckland, which means even more opportunities for sailors, and interclub regattas. It’s an exciting time,” continued Williams.

Sailors such as Gavin Brady, Leonard Takahashi, Nick Egnot-Johnson, Megan Thomson, Celia Willison and current Hardy Cup champion helm, Josh Hyde, have gone through the RNZYS Youth Training Program and have achieved results on the world stage ever since.

Dalton continued by saying “this is the kind of legacy that we are determined to leave to the people of Auckland, and New Zealand. Having more one-design match racing boats means greater opportunities for everyone.” 

Dalton also shared the news ,with those gathered to celebrate the launch, that Emirates Team New Zealand will donate $500,000 to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron International Sailing Fund to ensure world leading sailing opportunities on the international stage are available for our membership moving forward. 

Gillian Williams commented ‘that this incredible donation by the team further reinforces their commitment to ensuring the success of our programs and to ensure our sailors can compete on the world stage – we are incredibly grateful to Grant and their team’.

Andrew Aitken, Commodore of RNZYS, is thrilled to be leading the club through the launch of the new Elliott 7 fleet, which is part of the ongoing reset journey the club has undertaken.

“The new fleet of Emirates Team New Zealand Elliott 7’s is a significant milestone for our club, as is the generous contribution to our International Sailing Fund, and these generous donations by Grant Dalton and Emirates Team New Zealand ensure the successful future of our youth offerings as we move forward. In addition to this, being able to have the existing fleet remain in Auckland will be beneficial for the entire sailing community, and we are looking forward to creating more events and racing with the fleets combined,” said Aitken.

“We aim to leave a legacy for the next generation of sailors, and this is an important step in this process,” continued Aitken.

Emirates Team New Zealand, who represent RNZYS, has the America’s Cup proudly on display for members and visitors alike to admire. The America’s Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world, and  have claimed the Auld Mug four  times – 1995, 2000, 2017 and most recently in 2021. Their goal is to successfully defend the America’s Cup for an unprecedented 3 rd  time in a row in Barcelona in October of this year.

• Emirates Team New Zealand
• Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

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He said the club’s Reset Committee wrote off 247 assets no longer in the club’s possession as well as assets with a value below $2000 - totalling $467,489.

It also wrote down the value of boats owned by the club but which it is selling - including Elliott Fleet, Pembles, the Etchells and Phantoms - by a value of $240,199.

Aitken said other costs contributing to the loss included costs associated with training material, IT service losses of $33,480, sailing event losses worth $90,000 and a $110,000 loss designated as “members subscriptions and debtors adjustment”.

Media outlet Business Desk reported in March that unnamed sources suggested the club had also suffered membership losses because of its decision last year to allow the next America’s Cup to be sailed in Barcelona rather than Auckland.

Emirates Team NZ won the last America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021 but then argued it was not financially viable for the 2024 event to be held in New Zealand.

BusinessDesk said high-profile RNZYS members to have resigned over the Barcelona decision included original backer of NZ’s bids for the cup, Sir Michael Fay, Auckland KC Jim Farmer, Alan Sefton and Andrew Johns, who was the legal adviser for Fay’s three NZ bids.

Aitken, meanwhile, raised the possibility of a number of changes in members’ services in the newsletter update.

“Many of our members love the experience of dining or enjoying refreshments in our Members Bar,” he said.

However, the bar hasn’t broken even for a “number of years”, Aitken said.

To do so it will need to make an extra $700 in sales each day it is open.

As a result the club is going to survey members on what services they want and in the meantime has reduced the bar’s opening hours during winter from seven days a week to six.

The club is also consulting members on its club racing programme, Aitken said.

Aitken did not wish to comment when contacted by the Herald .

But he concluded his newsletter update to members by saying significant work is under way to “ensure that as we move forward, a sustainable business model is in place so that the club breaks even”.

“The Reset Committee are of the view that it will take a minimum of two years to reach this breakeven position, given the considerable amount of change that is required to do so,” he said.

“While breaking even before depreciation for the 2023/24 year is desirable, we recognise this is a substantial challenge with current forecasts showing significant work is still required to deliver this.”

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