Frenchman Bruno Troublé, who represents both Louis Vuitton and the World Sailing Team Association, said the race is unique:
“We provide the boats, we provide the sails – we provide everything. It’s cheap, it’s easily accessible for the sailors. It’s a good format because everyone is sailing with an equal chance.”
Bruno Troublé on our marine industry
Watch video interview with Bruno Troublé
Lining up against Emirates Team New Zealand were Team Origin (UK), Azzurra (Italy), Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Aleph (France), All4One ( France / Germany)
Syndicate head for Team New Zealand Grant Dalton was upbeat about his team’s chances:
“This is a very coherent team. It’s well drilled and it likes to perform. It’s geared on winning.”
“One of the key things we have to do now is blood new people. We need the youth coming through to take over from me and the other yachties as they get too old or move on to other things… The great news is that we have some of those guys now.”
Competing on and off the water
Watch video interview with Grant Dalton
While New Zealand boatbuilding and seamanship are under the spotlight, other Kiwi businesses will also get an opportunity to shine.
Dunedin-based Virtual Eye will be providing real-time, 3D coverage of the race using a sophisticated array of sensors, and virtualization technology. Using technology first created to cover the 1992 America’s Cup competition, Virtual Eye has grown and evolved into a powerful visualization tool.
The company is now using similar technology to cover a number of other sports, including golf, cricket and formula one racing.
Virtual Eye owner Ian Taylor says going global came naturally to his company:
“Coming from Dunedin you're always thinking you've got to go somewhere else to win work, so you're either going to go to Auckland, London or New York.
"We've always been a nation of traders. The opportunities for us are always off shore so it wasn't even something conscious we did, it just happened."
Virtual Eye on the race
Watch video interview with Ian Taylor
Regattas were also hosted in Nice, Sardinia, Dubai and Hong Kong.
