Dubai: Faced with the prospect of a long and barren summer, Emirates Team New Zealand wants to make optimum use of the time on hand in gelling together as a unit.
"It is going to be a long, long wait for the full team. But we hope we can gain some vital time together as a unit before we race again in Dubai in November," Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton told Gulf News.
Dalton has always been a pivotal figure in the success of the Kiwis, the most recent one coming in Sardinia when the Emirates Airline-outfit went on to stage a dramatic comeback to beat the Synergy Russian Sailing Team 3-2 and clinch the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena last Sunday.
The New Zealand boat that had won the season opener in Auckland in February was nearly down and out trailing 0-2 on a warm, sunny afternoon in Sardinia. But the Kiwis kept their self-belief and won the next three match races to win and keep their position at the top of the overall standings.
Dalton recognises the fact that his crew is a cut above the rest from the remaining nine teams.
Playing catch-up
However, all of these are playing catch up, improving with each outing during a predictable sort of match racing so far.
"This regatta has been about the emergence of these teams that are putting us under pressure," Dalton fumed.
"We need someone to put a blow [torch] on us before we start performing. That's not good enough. Someone's going to knock us off our pedestal if we carry on like that. I would have been incredibly hacked off if they hadn't won."
With the third round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy scheduled only for mid-November in Dubai, Dalton next has to ensure his side stays in fit form for the upcoming challenges. In the meantime [till November], the team will be racing in at least four rounds of the TP52 series and some of them will be involved in the RC44 series.
"Basically they will do as much sailing as possible and the core 12 of the 17 members will stay together on the TP52 series," he said.
Led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski, Synergy was creating their own little bit of history as it was for the first time in the America's Cup that a Russian-flagged boat had reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event.
Because there was no wind early, the final for third and fourth places was abandoned and the French/German team of All4One was confirmed in third place, while Paul Cayard-led Artemis from Sweden was placed in fourth.
Results
1. Emirates Team New Zealand; 2. Synergy Russian Sailing Team; 3. All4One; 4. Artemis; 5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team; 6. Azzurra; 7. TeamOrigin; 8. Luna Rossa; 9. BMW Oracle Racing Team; 10. Aleph Sailing Team.
