December 17 – March 17, 2021
The whole America’s Cup has been a bit of a process for us. We were fans back in the early days of Dennis Conner, but things gradually changed since then. I can pinpoint the beginning of the end to the 1988 race in San Diego when New Zealand brought in a monstrous boat and Dennis Conner answered by building a catamaran, both teams breaking (in my opinion) non-existent rules that maybe should have existed.
For us, it went downhill from there as boats became multi-hulls, lawsuits became the norm, and crew nationalities became more mixed as the years went on. Eventually, our “home” boat didn’t feel so much like an American boat with a former Kiwi competitor at the helm. Where was the American hero in this story? Probably on some other country’s boat.
The years went by, the boats became more extreme, and we considered this less a boat race and more a race of bizarre low-flying airplanes. By this point we, along with much of America it seems, just lost interest.
Years later we were discussing the issue with a cruising friend. He advised us to let go of what the boats used be like and watch them for what they are, because they are fantastic. I took that to heart and decided to let go of the past and start anew with my attitude toward the America’s Cup races. Rich was a bit more reluctant but willing to give it a chance the next time it came around.
Come March 2020, countries closed and we ended up situated in New Zealand. Winter was coming, and we decided to head north to Auckland. This decision had nothing to do with the races—in fact we didn’t think we’d still be here come race time–and everything to do with being in a warmer place. But as circumstances had it, we’ve been here through all the America’s Cup events, next to the center of the action. Below, some photos taken around the Viaduct as the racing events took place (click to enlarge any photo).
It seems a bit unfair that two such lukewarm fans ended up being here during the Cup when there are many sailing fans who would give about anything to be immersed in all this. But I have to say from the very first race we discovered our friend was right: these flying boats are indeed magnificent! We haven’t missed single a race since they began!
Over our time here we have watched the races on a giant screen in a restaurant (fun!), on a big screen in the outdoor area of the Viaduct (too sunny for comfort!), from the spectator fleet on our friends’ boat (fascinating to see just how fast they are in real life!), and sitting and watching it on YouTube on our boat, both in our marina and at a beautiful anchorage in the Haruaki Gulf. Watching on YouTube gave us the best view of the action plus we enjoyed the commentary, but watching it in person gave us a sense of speed that didn’t quite come through on our screens. Below, photos from the places from which we watched America’s Cup racing.
But it’s all been fun, and while we’ve gotten rather accustomed to it, it’s still neat to be out and about in the Viaduct during this time, seeing team members at various watering holes in the morning and evening (yes, they like coffee, beer, and in the case of the Italians and Americans, margaritas) or walking around during the day. And it’s fun to see how festive the area has been, although the Viaduct tends to be festive no matter what.
Sometimes we had to remind ourselves not to take all this for granted, but what we never, ever took for granted and felt gratitude for every day is the fact we ended up in New Zealand during the Covid pandemic. We rode out the first big lockdown in the South Island; then once we arrived in Auckland, aside from some brief Level 3 lockdowns, life has been normal here. And it’s amazing now fun “normal” is after even a brief lockdown!
Who were we rooting for to win? Everyone! Of course since we’re American, we have to root for the American team. Yet we were so impressed to see how the Italian boat improved over the past months, becoming the boat to beat. Meanwhile, Ineos (Britain) went from being the underdog, the boat people felt kind of sorry for, to a major threat in this race; another astonishing transformation into a contender to win the race. And of course we rooted for New Zealand, which feels like a second home and has given us sanctuary during this difficult year. We would have been thrilled to see any one of these boats win.
I guess in the end we were mostly rooting for the local restaurant owners and businesses, which meant we hoped the races would go on as long as possible. They may not have had their international tourist crowd this year, but they did have hoards of New Zealanders who would normally be on their own foreign trips, now anxious to take part in something so exciting on their home turf. The people who run these businesses have been so hospitable and nice to us. Knowing how they have suffered from the effects of the lockdown periods; we loved to see them thrive, their restaurants full of people enjoying food, drink, and some fantastic summer weather.
We were lucky enough to be invited onto our friends’ boat, D’Urville, for an early race plus the final two days of racing. Below, some photos and video clips taken as we exited and returned to Auckland Harbour for the final two races, including the America’s Cup boats passing us by and some of the racing action. (The last photo in the gallery is an AIS shot of the spectator boats around that day’s race course. Note that most local Kiwis don’t have AIS; so there are far more boats than indicated.)
…and a video…
I can say it was very exciting, and New Zealanders are certainly enthusiastic fans. Emirates Team New Zealand did have some strokes of luck, but in the end it was clear: they had the best boat and the best crew. Their win was well deserved. Below, some photos just after the final victory…
In the above, can you guess who the lone Prada fan is?
We congratulate New Zealand not just on the Cup win, but as everyone can see, on the way they’ve handled the pandemic as well. Bravo! –Cyndi
