Grant Dalton arrives more than an hour ahead of schedule to speak to EL PAÍS and the AS newspaper in Madrid. The manager of Team New Zealand, reigning America’s Cup sailing champions, is in a frenzy. At 65, the tanned, all-black sailor from Auckland is passionate about the upcoming edition of the world’s oldest competition (dating back to 1851), which will take place in Barcelona waters from 22 August to 12 October 2024. Dalton is a legend in New Zealand and in the oceans of the planet, winner of a circumnavigation (1994) in five participations and the last two America’s Cups, already as director of New Zealand: in 2017 in Bermuda the final against the Oracle and in 2021 against Luna Rossa in Auckland .
As tradition dictates, the champion is the one who chooses the location for the next stop and the one who sets the rules of the competition with the first challenger to emerge. Dalton, New Zealand boss and president of ACE (America’s Cup Events), caused an earthquake after lifting the last trophy. The big boss decided that the legendary 100 Guinea Jug would move out of Auckland. The king would not defend the crown in his port, but would listen to the sirens of Barcelona. The Catalan city prevailed in the battle for Malaga, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Cork (Ireland).
British team Ineos (challengers), Americans American Magic, Italian Luna Rossa and Swiss Alinghi are the contenders for New Zealand’s throne, while France makes numbers to take part in the race with a crew (all sailors must be of the same nationality as the group). Spain have failed to get a project off the ground but hope To for the women’s and youth categories, which will debut at the 37th edition of the cup in Barcelona.
Dalton is arguing in front of his people with this controversial decision not to defend the pitcher at home: “Growing a sport, spreading the word about the America’s Cup and sailing, with the time difference in New Zealand it’s not easy when you’re around the half planet fights night. The sponsorship market is Europe. At the last cup we had a total of 941 million viewers. If we kept it in New Zealand, in the wrong part of the world, we wouldn’t be able to let it grow. We will definitely grow in Barcelona. Those are the reasons we didn’t do the competition in Auckland. The main reason for Barcelona is Barcelona. There was an affinity with blue economy, green hydrogen, women’s and youth competitions, esports and being close to other boats that are in Europe and can compete in other regattas. Barcelona is perfect. It will be judged later if it is the best in the story. It has to be more than a trophy for that. If it is only that, it will be similar to others. Our legacy will not be judged by TV numbers, but by what we leave behind in Barcelona and in Spain. The legacy of the 1992 Olympics still shines brightly, in part because the volunteer spirit lives on. The fire has gone out, but the heat remains. You feel it when you are there. We also have to motivate people.”
From hero to villain, Dalton is aware of the small distance that separates the two banks. “Let’s say I’m not popular in my country now,” he laughs; “The biggest sport there is rugby and the second is sailing. The last regatta in Bermuda in 2017 had the highest television viewership in the country’s history at 89%. The streets were deserted. In Barcelona, our fans will come by the thousands. We live to win. If I lose, they’ll tell me, “See? You didn’t have to take the trophy with you. We have to keep it.”
The champion does not want to be considered a favourite. And he draws on the comparison with a world that is becoming ever more similar. “At the end of last Formula 1 season you might have thought that Mercedes was the favourite, but they got the car wrong and no amount of driving skill can turn a slow car into a fast one. It’s the same here,” says Dalton. The two universes have merged. Alinghi works with Red Bull. Mercedes with Ineos. “The design of America’s Cup boats and Formula 1 cars are converging. Much of the knowledge is used in both areas. We have 45 engineers and only one is ship designer. These boats fly more than they sail,” says Dalton.
Team New Zealand in Auckland at the last edition of the America’s Cup. Fiona Goodall (Getty Images)
The boats reach 54 knots, 100 kilometers per hour. “We could get to 150 but that would change his average speed. One example is motorcycles. Ducati was very fast in a straight line but very difficult to turn. Dalton points to the ship as the key ingredient to victory, ahead of the crew, though he qualifies: “Good sailors make a good ship.”
New features include the challenge of using hydrogen instead of petrol for the boats that follow the participants – “this is the future, an electric boat can’t go very far” – and the women’s and youth competition. “Sail was wrong in imposing quotas. That’s not how you build a path.” It also flies over the idea of emulating the World Cup in Qatar and opening up new horizons. “I’ve spent enough time in Jeddah to understand the place. Until you go, you’re not ready to criticize. And I thought the Saudis were impressive. In the future, I see a trophy there.”
Grant Dalton, this Thursday at the EL PAÍS headquarters in Madrid.MOEH ATITAR
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