Auld Mug Stays with Swiss

Alinghi has successfully defended the America’s Cup, defeating Emirates Team NZ 5-2 in the best-of-nine series. The 2007 event was the closest in years, with the Swiss team winning the seventh race by a mere second. “Just not enough has been the theme,” said Team NZ tactician, Terry Hutchinson. Alinghi beat Team NZ 5-0 in 2003, taking the America’s Cup to Europe for the first time in its 150-year history. Alinghi’s five-strong NZ contingent – Brad Butterworth, Dean Phipps, Warwick Fleury, Simon Daubney and Murray Jones – will stay with the Swiss syndicate for the next America’s Cup Challenge. “We’re mates and we’ve sailed together for years,” said Alinghi skipper and tactician Brad Butterworth in the NZ Herald. “It’s very important because that’s been our career and that’s been our strength. Why break it up?” The five NZ sailors have now won the America’s Cup four successive times, the first two with Team NZ before they switched with then-skipper Russell Coutts to Alinghi in 2000.