Ear To The Ground

Ed Gorman picks up the gossip around the GBR Challenge in Auckland.

The New Boat

It seems the original plan to launch the team's one and only new boat and sail her out of Cowes at the end of April is now under review and looks increasingly unlikely to happen. The feeling among GBR Challenge managers is that putting the package together in Britain just for a few weeks of promotional sailing, may be more trouble than it is worth. The weather may also make life very difficult. More likely is that the boat will be named in Cowes and then shipped straight out to Auckland for her first sea trials at the end of May or early June.

The Helmsmen

One of the trickiest problems facing the GBR team is picking the right helm. Everyone knows this is one of the big talking points. Generally three names, Ian Walker, Andy Beadsworth and Andy Green are considered the candidates. It still looks fairly open and there is still a reasonably strong possibility that the team may use a starting driver in some races who then hands over to a race driver.

madfor sailing asked team tactician, Ado Stead, who is watching them all closely, for his opinion. Ado on Green: "flair and aggression." Ado on Andy B: "consistent, all-round, methodical." Ado on Ian Walker: "keen to learn - we know that everything he puts his mind to, he's done well." Ado added: "All of them have slightly different qualities that are good. It will be difficult to choose...the good thing at the moment is that it is all coming back to the team philosophy - we are all learning together and everyone has a lot to offer."

Andy Green

Andy broke his collarbone during a team rugby game and has been out for three weeks. But the word is he will be back soon and he seems to have made good progress in Auckland. "Andy has come a long way - his injury came at a very unfortunate time for him," commented Ian Walker.

Sponsors

There is as yet no sign of a big corporate sponsor coming on board to share the financial load with Peter Harrison. Team sources dismiss rumours that big offers have been made but they have been turned down by Harrison. In the meantime potential backers will fly to New Zealand for next month's Road to the America's Cup Regatta. Team general manager David Barnes is bullish on the prospects saying he has no doubt substantial corporate funding will be found.

GBR52

It is no secret that, of the two Japanese America's Cup Class yachts being used by the team, GBR52 is the one that is being prepared as a trial horse for the new boat. In recent weeks GBR52 has undergone modifications to her keel which have given the shore team the chance to use a skirt to hide these when the boat is hauled and launched.

The Challenger

The view within the GBR Challenge is that while Team New Zealand certainly should not be written off, they are going to have a much harder time of it this time round and the challenger may well win.

Ian Walker: "I do think the bar has been raised considerably over last time. The Kiwis will be just as good and professional and will do everything they did last time, but everyone else will have raised their game. Where Prada were last time will be the entry level this time - you can already see that on the Gulf, just in the way people are sailing."

David Barnes: "It's going to be a lot harder for Team New Zealand than it was last time. I wouldn't bet on which way it will go, but it'll be a lot more difficult."

Bill Edgerton - GBR Challenge sailing coach: "Personally I don't put Dean Barker in the same category as Russell Coutts. He's not the same all-round clever person. Coutts is such a clever guy on the technical side. It'll be close - I think they probably won't defend."

Sweden's Victory Challenge

Bang next door to them in the Viaduct, the Brits have the Swedish Victory Challenge for neighbours. Inevitably they have stolen just a few glimpses of the Swede's new Manni Frers America's Cup Class, one of the first of the new generation. The Brits, though, seem unruffled by what they've seen. There is nothing particularly new there and the boat looks very like NZL60, they say.

Prada

Rod Davis's comments in a recent edition of Seahorse magazine about the GBR Challenge "not endearing themselves to the other AC teams with their on and off the water antics" at the America's Cup Jubilee, have been duly noted. In fact Prada already seems to be the main "big-gun" that the GBR team seems to have set its sights on. One rumour in the base currently is that Prada have just scrapped their new boat at the plug stage, having changed their mind about its bow profile and its length.