ON-BOARD WITH EMIRATES TEAM NZ

Dreams to reality sums up this trio. Glenn, a world class sailor, is an ideas man, dreaming up new and faster ways a boat can harness the wind. He’s never afraid to challenge the norm or put new concepts to the design table – brought to life by Steve and Salty. Steve throws science at the concepts using computer simulation to quantify results and see where gains can be made, or weight can be saved. Salty, a veteran America’s Cup and ocean racer, leads a team converting the resulting designs into high tech composite structures. The ability to contribute at the highest level, each with their own expertise but with a common language of sail design, makes for a dream team.

Unravelling the code best describes this relationship. Simulation designer and mathematical wizard Dan, who has a background in F1, heads up the design team and can be credited with raising the technology bar in the sailing game. The use of racing simulators, analysis software and on-the-water sailing measurement results in a massive amount of data. Elise, an engineer who is also one of NZ’s top foiling sailors, takes on the daunting role of analysing this sea of numbers, recommending to Pete and the sailing team how to extract optimum performance from the yacht. Pete, while known for his raft of sailing achievements, also studied engineering and is at home with pages of numbers and graphs. Simulate, design, sail, repeat.

Josh, one of NZ’s top sailors in Olympic and Cup level, works on the front line, creating power and control for the boat. Josh knows the boat so well that he feels where it’s hurting and senses when it’s ripping. As the boat evolves in design, it’s vital that the sailors’ voices are heard. Step in Dick, an America’s Cup veteran who has the essential role of managing the interface between sailors and designers, presenting a clear design brief with the right balance of form and function. Luke, a handy sailor himself and now in his fourth America’s Cup campaign as a designer, is the creative genius responsible for many of the mechanical systems that Josh interacts with. Each one an integral part of a winning team.

All three limited-edition labels appear across two of our most cherished wines; Brancott Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Brancott Estate South Island Pinot Noir – both available in New World, Pak'nSave and Countdown stores now.

During the 2019 harvest we hosted members of Emirates Team New Zealand at Brancott Vineyard in Marlborough, where they learnt more about the parallels between winemaking and high-performance sailing - in particular the need to work with nature as opposed to against it.

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