Team New Zealand Boss Grant Dalton holds aloft the America's Cup alongside his now ex-helmsman during the team's Auckland victory parade in 2017. Photo: Photosport
Team New Zealand believe if they get the design of the boat right for the next America's Cup it does not matter who is at the helm.
Peter Burling has won the Auld Mug three times, and is only the second helmsman to win three America's Cups in consecutive contests, but he will not be back for Team New Zealand at the 38th America's Cup in 2027.
Burling and Team New Zealand chief executive officer Grant Dalton had been in negotiations since Team New Zealand defended the Cup six months ago in Barcelona.
"The clock was just running down and the offer was on the table and we just couldn't make those terms agree on each other," Dalton said.
Time was one factor.
"The cycle's reasonably short and we need to know who our key people are and their availability."
Money was another.
"We never really got to a situation where we disagreed on the money, but he was unhappy with what we were offering, which was, in our world, considerable, but I know that overseas people can pay more than that and that was kind of where it stopped.
"You know, you could have kept running that process for months, but we didn't have months, we didn't have weeks and had to make a call
"So not the easiest call I've ever made and I'm certainly sure that it's not the easiest call that Pete's ever received but he's been very good through the whole thing.
"There's no malice. People will probably try and sensationalise this decision, but we just couldn't get there."
Dalton said they parted on "very, very good terms" and were texting each other as the announcement of Burling's departure went public on Friday.
Dalton had not ruled out Burling ever returning to Team New Zealand but he was also safe in the knowledge that the 34-year-old would not be sailing against New Zealand in 2027.
"The way the nationality rule was structured in the protocol, there's two key parts to it. One is that the sailors have to be a national of the country, and that's defined.
"The second is that there is a no poaching clause, which means that anybody that sailed in what was AC 37 Barcelona, can't sail for another team because of this anti-poaching clause, unless it's a new team, which is really maybe, say the Australians only and then they'd have to be a passport holder."
Photo: AFP / Manaure Quintero
Experience was valuable when it came to pressure of an America's Cup Match and Dalton said they were looking for a replacement for Burling outside of their current set-up.
"We have to look at the youth coming on too. There's some fast kids coming, and it's a responsibility and a need that we start to look at them as well."
Burling had spent 10 years involved with Team New Zealand and Dalton said although they had hoped he would be there for another Cup cycle they needed to move on.
"You have got to remember that if the sailing team is eight people, the design team's 45 and the shore crews' 50. So (the sailors are) a visible piece of the organisation, but it is only one piece of the organisation.
"And if you can produce an F1 car that's substantially faster than anyone else's, the driver, although obviously still important, is less important.
"One of the successes of the team over recent years has been this integration of a very smart design team with a very smart group of sailors.
"And I emphasise the word group because there's different aspects of the boat which make it go fast.
"Basically it's not just one thing and so we've got real depth in the sailing team in that respect and we're now bolstering that with some youth and a few changes as well."
Dalton said the timing of Burling's announcement coincided with Dalton heading to Europe to scout the venue for the next America's Cup and to seek sponsors.
How many challengers would be trying to take the Cup off Team New Zealand would not be known until the entries opened in June but Dalton felt five challengers was a good number.
"We had a good number last time because you don't want this thing to run forever. It costs a lot, too much, for the teams to be racing forever so I thought it was about right last time."
Had Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Ben Ainslie both entered boats from Britain the number of challengers would have increased but with Ratcliffe withdrawing Dalton has floated the idea that Australia could return to the America's Cup for the first time since 2000.
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