“The America’s Cup is …”

… off to Switerland. Team New Zealand, led by Dean Barker and defending the Cup for the second time, were eventually beaten 5-0 by the Swiss syndicate Alinghi, led by Kiwis, skipper Russell Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth. Losing hurts for Team New Zealand who experienced gear failure in 2 out of the 5 races, but the team, marshaled by a dignified Barker and a defiant Tom Schnackenberg promises to be back to challenge for the Cup wherever the Swiss syndicate, headed by Ernesto Bertarelli, decides to host it outside of landlocked Switzerland (returning it to Europe for the first time since 1851). The loss of the Cup also means new challenges for Auckland, without the boost that the Cup provided to the city in the financial and attention economy stakes.