America’s Cup: Dalton shares his thoughts on Barcelona and discusses his future and the next Defence
by Martin Devlin/Sail-World 3 Dec 06:02 PST
Dockout – Emirates Team NZ – Race 7 & 8 – Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Race Day 5 – October 18, 2024 © Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup
In this comprehensive interview, Emirates Team New Zealand’s CEO Grant Dalton engages with prominent sports broadcaster Marty Devlin to discuss their recent victory at the America’s Cup in Barcelona, describing it as their “most comprehensive effort” yet.
Back in Auckland for just a week, Dalton reflects on the campaign, tracing back to their review process following the 2021 America’s Cup held in Auckland, which was facilitated by McKinsey, with Nathan Outteridge brought in for additional insights.
This review process resulted in significant changes within the sailing team, particularly in their collaborative efforts.
Dalton mentions they analyzed all the onboard audio from both their team and the competitors. He noted a key difference during the races in Barcelona: INEOS Britannia focused significantly more on boat setup, while the Kiwis likely dedicated only 10% of their efforts to setup, concentrating the remaining 90% on boat positioning on the course.
Turning to the future, Dalton addresses his role within the team and the comprehensive review that they will undertake together early next year.
Dalton expressed shock upon returning to New Zealand regarding its current state, suggesting the nation might benefit from an event to uplift morale and restore tourism to previous high levels—especially in cities experiencing tourism surges.
He expressed optimism about the Cup returning to Auckland, stating that a collaborative approach similar to the one used in Barcelona—combining Governmental, Auckland Council, and private funding—is both necessary and feasible. He is willing to mend fences with some of his past “relationships” to facilitate this.
This interview conducted by leading sports broadcaster Martin Devlin is available at www.rova.nz/podcasts/dspn
