America's Cup future on line in USA-New Zealand duel

Emirates Team New Zealand's quest to wrest the America's Cup from Oracle Team USA resumes on Saturday, with the future of yacht racing's most coveted prize at stake. Team New Zealand are eager to expunge the bitter memories of 2013 -- when they were on the brink of victory with an 8-1 lead over Team USA in San Francisco only to fall 9-8. But with the innovative Kiwis up 3-0 in the first-to-seven points series heading into the second weekend's four races -- the focus is already shifting toward the future in a competition in which the holders of the "Auld Mug" traditionally decide the rules. "We're now in, I guess, a critical point where we're going to know the next America's Cup winner in the next week and it's going to be interesting to see the direction that it takes," said Australian regatta director Iain Murray. While Team New Zealand are focusing on the immediate task, speculation has abounded as to what changes they might make if they take the Cup home for a third time, after victories in 1995 and 2000 with Black Magic. New Zealand conspicuously declined to back a framework agreement for the America's Cup announced in January by Team USA -- winners in 2010 and 2013 -- and backed by the four other syndicates involved this year. The agreement calls for the continued use of the current 50-foot foiling catamarans, which have made for a spectacular show on Bermuda's Great Sound. It also calls for a biennial format with the America's Cup World Series to serve as qualifying. Those who devised it, including Ben Ainslie Racing executive Martin Whitmarsh, hope such a format would bring down costs and encourage more teams. Sponsors would be assured of more regular exposure and teams would know that the expensive development they put into particular Cup class boats wouldn't be wasted at the whim of the defenders. "There's clearly one side and then there's the other side and what their plans are it's a bit hard to know," said Murray, a veteran of four America's Cup campaigns himself. - Return to monohulls? - There has been talk that despite their impressive gains in multihull foiling performance New Zealand could turn to monohull yachts. A revived nationality rule could require teams to include a certain percentage of crew from the syndicate's country of origin -- and could be extended to design and build personnel as well. Oracle Team USA are loaded with Australians, starting with two-time Cup winning skipper Jimmy Spithill, while New Zealand have drawn heavily on home-grown talent. Whatever else happens in the future, Murray said, he believes all involved would like to see more teams competing. He noted that the regattas in Fremantle in 1987, with 13 syndicates from six nations among the challengers, and Valencia in 2007, with 11 challengers from nine countries, were "regarded as sort of the golden days". "Can we get back to that, can we build off these type of boats or are we going to do something different?" Murray said. "It's above my pay-grade at the moment."