By Alexander Smith
BARCELONA (Reuters) -New Zealand retained the America’s Cup with a 7-2 series win over Britain on Saturday, sparking wild celebrations on board their sleek AC75 before heading back to shore to be met with a traditional Maori welcome.
The victory makes it a third win in a row for the New Zealand team, who successfully defended the “Auld Mug”, which they had won in Auckland in 2021 and in Bermuda in 2017.
There were hugs among the crew of eight on board “Taihoro” before the rest of their team joined them to mark a successful finale to a three-year campaign to retain the coveted trophy, which is billed as the oldest in international sport.
“An unbelievable feeling and what a group of people to be sharing it with. Thanks everyone for the support,” New Zealand skipper Peter Burling, who became the most successful helmsman in the event’s 173-year history, said on the America’s Cup live broadcast.
“Phenomenal… We’ve done it and achieved everything we wanted to,” said Burling’s long-time team mate Blair Tuke.
The black-clad winning crew were surrounded by a flotilla of boats, horns blaring as they packed up their sails before cracking open large bottles of champagne which Burling and his team mates sprayed over each other and the high-tech boat.
“A credit to the whole team really,” New Zealand’s team leader Grant Dalton said, thanking the city of Barcelona for staging the event and the New Zealanders who had come to Spain to support the America’s Cup away from home.
‘BEST EVER’
British skipper Ben Ainslie paid tribute to the winning team, whom he said were the best ever in the America’s Cup, after losing out to the Kiwis in a tightly-fought sea skirmish.
“At the end of the day the better team won,” Ainslie said from onboard “Britannia”, adding that it was not the end of the journey for the British effort to “bring the Cup home”.
“What an incredible achievement to get the three-peat… they are a class act, so congratulations to them,” he said later.
Britain has never won the America’s Cup, which began in 1851 with a race around the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England, and Ainslie has been trying for a decade.
“It’s been a hell of a road through this event,” Ainslie said of the campaign to reach the final, which his British team did for the first time in 60 years by beating Italy in the Louis Vuitton final last month.
Ainslie’s latest attempt, with the backing of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, cost more than 100 million pounds ($130 million) and involved the Mercedes Formula One team.
Asked if he would be helming the boat in the next attempt, the 47-year-old Ainslie said he would do what was right for the team.
“I’m committed to taking this team forward,” said the most successful sailor in Olympic history.
Taihoro was towed back into Barcelona’s port at speed, glistening as it “flew” above the sparkling sea on its foils.
The crew aboard the British boat waved as they were towed into the harbour, acknowledging support from their supporters on the water before they were greeted with embraces from family and friends when they got back to their base.
($1 = 0.7664 pounds)
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Alex Richardson and Clare Fallon)
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