It's very different since the crews, the participating crews are coming with a shirt or if the weather is bad they come with the full weather gear but we provide the boat, we provide the sails for it, everything, so it's cheap, it's easy access for the sailors and it's a good format because everybody is - they are all sailing with equal chances because they sail on the same boats so it's new to sailing and I think it will work well.
I have been in New Zealand for many, many years. I first organised the Louis Vuitton Cup here in the year 2000, 1999-2000. I will never forget the turn of the millennium when it was pouring rain here in this place, on 31 December, and I've been, you know, New Zealand is my second country. My wife is partly Kiwi and I come every year to New Zealand and I built a boat here, I bought several boats from Rayglass, one of the leading companies in the marine industry and really I love New Zealand.
They are extremely good people. I mean, any boatbuilder is a boatbuilder and they don't count their hours, the way they do in Europe. I remember building - when I built the boat, they were working at night, they were working on the weekends, just to make sure the boat would be ready on time. They are very devoted, they know what they are talking about, they know what they are doing.
In France it's more - in Europe it's more compartmented. That means the guy doing the electricity knows nothing about the rest of the boat while these people here in New Zealand, they have a good scope of all the different - different jobs, building a boat, so this makes a big difference.
First I think you should develop quickly a side of selling boats, which you are very good at, at least for the big boats at this moment. I think New Zealand is a leading country for boats over 80-90 feet, so you are very good at that.
What could you could develop very quickly is maintenance, I mean refit for boats. You are missing marina berths, you are missing sheds to host some big boats willing to come here for refit because not only you are the best country for building boats but you're the best country for refitting boats and I saw last week my dear boat, Endeavour, one of the most impressive sailboats, going to a refit at Yachting Developments. I was impressed to talk to the people. They will completely rebuild the boat.
Sure I will come for the Rugby World Cup and have two teams, France and the Kiwis, so when this happens to have this game, France against the All Blacks, I'm always watching and it's tough for me but I'm always very pleased with the winner. [Laughs]
