“We exist to win.” Four words, four competitive words from the biggest gorilla in the Cup jungle, Grant Dalton, that not only sends shivers down the opposition’s collective spines, but also encapsulates exactly, precisely, conclusively, what Team New Zealand are all about.
No ‘ifs, buts or maybes’ it’s the relentless mantra of a continuation team that are all-in for a completely unprecedented four-in-a-row in the America’s Cup. Speaking to the excellent Stuff website down on the team dock in Auckland, Dalton was on good form opining about the Naples venue and also likening his team’s overseas adventures to ‘being like vikings.’ Whether he quite meant the 8th century practices of raiding, trading, pillaging and disparaging invaded lands is perhaps a stretch, but I get the gist.