Hanging onto the edge of the map...

New Zealand, in particular Auckland, is in real danger of falling off the world's yacht racing chart. Halsey Street, where all the America's Cup bases were once packed in, has become a ghost town. Like an old western movie where the buildings lie deserted and tumbleweeds role down the street. Well, that is not quite true as there are no tumbleweeds in Kiwi land, but you get the point. The future looks as bleak as Cowes in the dead of winter.

How could New Zealand, arguably the Mecca of yacht racing for the past decade, fall so far from grace? Looks like the nation's yachting powers fell into the oldest trap: got a bit fat, dumb and happy. It's rather like the song goes: 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone'.

It started with the lack of Kiwi teams in the big offshore events. New Zealand won the Admiral's Cup in 1987 but have sent just one team to the UK in the past 14 years.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the July 2003 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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