Learning from earlier efforts, the 1995 Team New Zealand, led by Kiwi yachting legend Sir Peter Blake, ran one of the strongest campaigns in the long history of the America's Cup. This team relied on Blake's leadership and the steady hand of Russell Coutts on the helm to dominate the rest of the challengers, and sweep the America's Cup Match 5 - 0.
During the first defence of the Cup in Auckland in 2000, skipper Russell Coutts won the first four matches over Prada before handing the wheel over to his understudy, a 24-year old Dean Barker, who completed the sweep.
But shortly after the successful defence, Coutts, along with many others, left Team New Zealand for a new challenge with Alinghi. With a young and relatively inexperienced sailing team, the Kiwis gambled on a radical new hull design. The result was a disappointment. Alinghi, with Coutts at the helm, swept Team New Zealand 5 - 0 to take the Cup to Europe.
The re-born Emirates Team New Zealand, has many parallels with the 1995 team. Once again, a strong leader from the world of offshore sailing, Grant Dalton, has come in to lead the team. The Kiwis can boast some of the strongest sailors and yacht designers in the world, and come into the 32nd America's Cup motivated to prove they are again a world class sailing team.
Emirates Team New Zealand surprised many observers when it rebounded from the last Cup to secure the 2004 ACC Season Champion title. In 2005, the Kiwis generally shared second and third place finishes for the year with BMW ORACLE Racing, behind. Emirates Team New Zealand were second on the season championship, and are in second place for the Louis Vuitton Ranking.
2006 saw the Kiwis climb to the top of both ranking tables. Two third place Act finishes, along with a win in Louis Vuitton Act 12, propelled Emirates Team New Zealand to the top. The Kiwis head into Act 13 with a two point lead over BMW ORACLE Racing on the Louis Vuitton Ranking for challengers.
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