Auckland, New Zealand…February 15, 2002 – In the International America's Cup Regatta today, OneWorld defeated Team New Zealand by one minute and six seconds, the first time that New Zealand has been defeated since winning the 1995 America’s Cup in San Diego. Tomorrow’s race against Sweden’s Victory Challenge will determine who will go on to the finals and sail against Team New Zealand.

"It was a great day on the water today," said OneWorld Sailing Director Peter Gilmour. "I could not be more pleased with how this group of sailors performed with USA 55. It is a credit to their teamwork and I am proud of all of them. We still have a tough race tomorrow against Sweden who have proven they are fast and it will be a challenge to beat them.”

Peter Gilmour, steering OneWorld Challenge, showed his great flair in the pre-start while tackling Dean Barker and Team New Zealand. The pair initially went deep into the start box and didn’t actually meet up until they had sailed out of the bottom of the box. During the return to the line, with both boats early and Team New Zealand to weather, Gilmour saw his chance, tacked to pass behind the Kiwis and tacked again to weather, all in the last minute. But Team New Zealand luffed to close the door against the committee boat and Gilmour found himself in an impossible situation and forced a passage, collecting a red flag penalty in the process, forcing OneWorld Challenge to take their penalty immediately.

OneWorld recovered quickly from the penalty and managed to stay in touch, reading the wind better than the Kiwis, closing the gap down again so that at the top mark they were just seven seconds behind. On the run the Kiwis gained and pulled out to round more than 30 seconds ahead, but on the second beat the pair split half-way up the leg.

The New Zealanders chose the left side of the course, and OneWorld Challenge managed to find some more pressure where they were behind and to the right, sailing into a more favorable position. Team New Zealand, unable to react quickly to the situation on the right due to the now significant gap between the two, tacked onto port to watch the American boat cross ahead and round the top mark with a lead of over a minute.

Gilmour and his team managed to keep their lead to the finish to break Team New Zealand’s winning streak. Today was the first time that NZL-60 has ever lost a match race. Other than at the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes last year, where they sailed NZL-32, this is the first time Team New Zealand has lost a match race since the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1995.

February 15 Starting Line-Up:

Alan Smith, bow; Don McCracken, mid-bow; Mark Newbrook, mast; Kazuhiko Sofuku, pit; Andrew Taylor, grinder; Yasuhiro Yaji, grinder; Joe Newton, trimmer; Tatsuya Wakinaga, tail; Pete Waymouth, runner/pit; Jonathan McKee, main trimmer; Ed Smyth, traveler; Ben Durham, runner/grinder; Kelvin Harrap, weather/runner; Peter Gilmour, helmsman; Charlie McKee, tactician; Kevin Hall, navigator.

About OneWorld

In May of 2000, the Seattle Yacht Club and telecommunications investor Craig McCaw launched the OneWorld Challenge campaign for the America’s Cup to be held in Auckland New Zealand in 2003. OneWorld assembled a world-class team of 85 people including designers, boat builders and sailors from around the globe, many of whom were already America’s Cup winners, Olympic medallists and World Champions. The OneWorld mission is to win the 31st America’s Cup in the name of the health of the planet. The syndicate will use its profile to draw the World’s attention to a broader environmental message. Underwriters of OneWorld at this point include Craig McCaw, Paul Allen’s TechTV, SAIC, Ford/Lincoln.

OneWorld Contact:

Bob Ratliffe
Executive Director
NZ 001-64-21-797-070
Seattle 425-766-8686

Jennifer McHugh
Marketing Communications Manager
NZ 001-64-21-797-073
Seattle – 206-391-3047

International America’s Cup Regatta Contact:

Murray Taylor (Team New Zealand) on +64 272947930 or by email at murray.taylor@xtra.co.nz

Marcus Hutchinson (Louis Vuitton Media Centre) on +64 27 224 5513 or by email at marcus@ivmc