Auckland bound

The GBR Americas Cup Challenge team leave for their new home in New Zealand

Today the GBR Challenge team left the UK to begin the second phase of the British America's Cup programme in Auckland, New Zealand. The team flew from Heathrow this morning, allowing them time to acclimatise at their base in the Viaduct Basin, before the official programme begins on 7 October.

Several months of hard training, fitness sessions and intense learning lie ahead for the 30 strong sailing team. They will be out sailing GBR44 by the end of the first week of phase two and will be two boat training, with GBR52, by the beginning of November. Training for over five months in the Hauraki Gulf, where the next Louis Vuitton and America's Cup will be held, will give the team the crucial knowledge they will need to compete against the other world class teams racing in the event in 2002 / 2003.

Commenting on the next phase in New Zealand, Ian Walker, GBR Challenge Sailing Manager said; "Hopefully we can keep learning at the incredible rate we've been learning at so far - it will be exciting to see all the other syndicates, watch them training and learn from them."

"We aim to be a professional outfit that is seen to be representing Britain to the best of our ability and as we are a young team, it is difficult to know what the ceiling is. Seeing the other teams will make us rally round and say, 'We're here, we're the Brits and we're going to try and do the job better than anyone else".

In the meantime, back at the somewhat deserted Cowes base, the build team will begin work on the GBR Cup boat as soon as the final design decisions are made on 1 November. An intense building period over the winter months will ensure that the new boat is ready for the team to test out and train on when they return to the UK in March 2002.