Keeping the road under the show...

With Auckland losing its Volvo Ocean Race stopover to Melbourne things seem only to be getting bleaker for New Zealand sailing. The task of restoring the country's sailing fortunes largely hinges upon presenting a viable challenge for America's Cup 2007 - and responsibility for that now sits squarely on the broad shoulders of Grant Dalton...

SH: Cherished position or poisoned chalice?

GD: The baggage of Blake, the government, the public, the letdown last time... that doesn't bother me. I can only try as hard as I can try and what happens at the end happens. Do I worry if get crucified at the end of this? No. I'm not worried about that. One of the things I bring to this is that I don't really care what people think. I'm not driven by that any more. I'm at the stage in my life where I'm OK financially, I don't need to work, I've had success. This is just something I really want to do.

SH: Carte blanche or hands tied?

GD: The way they got beaten last time, so absolutely resoundingly, actually makes my job a hell of a lot easier. If they'd been beaten 5:4 and passed on the last run of the last race, there would have been a feeling of it's nearly there, we don't need to change much. And they probably wouldn't have asked me anyway. The fact that they were completely hammered means that I can do effectively what I like. And no one can prove me wrong until history proves it. For me it's the perfect time.

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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