"It won't make any difference to the way we sail the boat," said a modest Brad Butterworth in October, 2005 when he was named as skipper of the 2007 Defender by team president Ernesto Bertarelli. "But I guess it will be a little bit different for me as it makes me responsible for the boat as a whole."

It is certainly an increase in responsibility for Butterworth who will also serve as tactician and as vice president of the Swiss Alinghi team. But it is a natural progression towards leadership, as Butterworth has assumed more and more responsibility over the team ahead of the 32nd America's Cup defence.

He certainly has the experience, with over 40 years of sailboat racing behind him. Butterworth first sailed, like many of his countrymen, aboard the small local dinghy, the P-Class, before graduating to the Starling, then the 470 and finally the Laser. By the age of 21, he was racing keelboats.

Curiously it was not as a sailor, but as a sailmaker, that Butterworth first entered the world of the America's Cup. Working for Alan Bond's syndicate during the victorious 1983 Australian campaign, he found immediate success. Alongside his countryman Tom Schnackenberg, he worked on the sail programme that contributed to the historic Australia II win.

That same year, Butterworth discovered offshore ocean racing and the Admiral's Cup as the helmsman of the Lady B under Peter Blake's leadership. In 1985, he was the skipper of Mad Max in the Southern Cross Race and two years later, he raced his first America's Cup as the tactician aboard Magic Kiwi KZ-7 skippered by Chris Dickson. Their results in the Louis Vuitton Cup were incredible: 37 wins from 38 races, but then they were beaten 4 - 1 in the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup finals by Dennis Conner.

A few months later, Butterworth won the 1987 Admiral's Cup as skipper of Propaganda. Then, as Peter Blake's watch captain, he won the 1989-90 Whitbread Around the World Race aboard Steinlager II. In 1992, he went back to the America's Cup as tactician of the back-up challenger boat, New Zealand, NZL-14, with Russell Coutts as the skipper. The Louis Vuitton Cup final was raced between New Zealand NZL-20 fitted with a tandem keel and helmed by Rod Davis assisted by David Barnes and Il Moro di Venezia ITA-25 skippered by Paul Cayard. After falling behind 3 - 1, the Italians destabilised the New Zealander by protesting the way the team used its bowsprit. The head of the Kiwi challenge, Michael Fay, promoted Coutts and Butterworth to the race boat, which they had previously sailed just a handful of times. The result was predictable, and Il Moro won the 1992 Vuitton Cup.

From 1995, Butterworth worked as tactician alongside skipper Peter Blake, and helmsman Russell Coutts. It was a perfect combination, and the team went on to win first the Louis Vuitton Cup and then the America's Cup.

"My job is to observe the other boats when racing," Butterworth says. "I have to decide where we ought to be, and in which direction we ought to go, given the wind and the position of the opposition."

While he makes it sound simple, in fact the tactician is as responsible as the helmsman for each victory and defeat. And in this role, many say Butterworth is simply the best that there is. In 1995, on a total of 43 races, he knew only a single defeat. In 2000, the team aboard Team New Zealand NZL-60, with Coutts at the helm and Butterworth as tactician won the first four races. Coutts handed the wheel to a young Dean Barker for the fifth and final race, and Butterworth guided him to victory.

A short time later, along with a handful of Team New Zealand sailors, Brad Butterworth and Russell Coutts left their role as defender to again take up the challenge role in the America's Cup, this time for Ernesto Bertarelli's Swiss team, Alinghi.

In 2003, Butterworth and his mates won the America's Cup for Switzerland aboard SUI-64. Led by Russell Coutts, Alinghi crushed the defender, Team New Zealand, NZL-82. by a 5 to 0 scoreline.

At the beginning of 2004 a dispute between Bertarelli and Coutts bubbled to the surface. Butterworth held away from the controversy; it did not concern him. By deciding to stay with Alinghi, Butterworth retained the Kiwi core of the Swiss team for the defence. Between September 2004 and October 2005, Alinghi dominated the first nine Louis Vuitton Acts.

With the role of helmsmen alternating between Jochen Schuemann, Ed Baird and Peter Holmberg, the tactician role remained constant with Butterworth. By appointing him as skipper of Alinghi in October 2005, Ernesto Bertarelli made official what had been in practice since Coutts left the team.

"I am happy in that position and comfortable to carry it on, especially with the strong group we have," Butterworth explained at the time. An elegant way of affirming his determination to win the America's Cup…for the fourth consecutive time.

J.T./pr

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