The America's Cup In Auckland. Poem by Michael Walker

The America's Cup came to Auckland in 1995,
where it stayed until 2003. In the summer of 2000
Russell Coutts led Team New Zealand to a 5-0 win
in the finals against Italy's 'Luna Rossa'.
The Italians were just out of their depth.


The result was reversed in the summer of 2003
when Russell Coutts and many of his old teammates
switched to Switzerland: Coutts skippered 'Alinghi'
to a 5-0 whitewash of TeamNew Zealand who were
outclassed by the Swiss crew's tacking and jibing.


I was there tacking around the Viaduct Harbour
on Sunday afternoons to see the 12-metre yachts
mooredside by side at the Super Yacht Berthage.
It was same shapes, different colours.
On those enchanted Sunday afternoons I liked
the charcoal and red of 'Alinghi',
the yacht which sailed to catch the wind.

-3/4 July,2017.Revised 12 April 2019.