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.
Helmsman Peter Burling said he hopes Aotearoa will be recommissioned and he has another opportunity to sail her in Auckland.
"It's a really cool boat to sail and it's going to be a little sad not to sail it for a little while now," he said.
Burling's mother, Heather, described it as the "biggest, bestest toy he's ever had".
It is unlikely the boat will be used for anything more than exhibition sails, however, with Team NZ expected to move to a different class of boat for the next event. The Kiwi syndicate is currently in discussions with Luna Rossa, the official challenger of record for the 36th America's Cup match, over what shape the next event will take. It is rumoured the Italian team are determined to see the Cup return to monohulls.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jun/27/pedal-power-and-poker-faces-what-drove-new-zealands-americas-cup-success
America and New Zealand's skippers - both Australian
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