The 20th annual luncheon of the Automotive Parts and Accessories Association (AAPA) saw a change of venue this year, to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Westhaven, Auckland, to honour its world renowned guest speaker, yachtsman Blair Tuke.
Blair who? Many people remember the name Peter Burling as the helmsman and TV face of Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup winning yacht, but Blair’s name is often not so forthcoming, even though he has been Peter’s team-mate in all the latter’s major yachting achievements, including winning Olympic gold and silver medals together, and being co-captain of the New Zealand team (with Peter) at the 2016 Olympics.
Blair also played a pivotal role in the America’s Cup campaign as the boat’s “flyer”, ensuring all the aerofoils were in the right place at the right time, often having to out-think the boat’s computer.
And not content with winning the America’s Cup, he also gave up a chunk of his life to take part in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race – and came close to winning, being pipped at the post into second place.
Perhaps one of the reasons Blair is not as immediately recognisable as Peter is his quiet and unassuming character. But don’t be fooled by that.
At the luncheon, attended by most of the stalwarts of the automotive parts and accessories industry in New Zealand, he gave an entertaining and at times hearty-rending talk about his life, and his future, going well over the allotted time, with AAPA members and guests alike mesmerised by his stories, as well as being fascinated by what he could reveal about the new boat due to be raced in Auckland in 2021.
So what’s the new boat going to be like?
First up, says Blair, it’s a neat concept, very aggressive, with the lifting surface of the foils very similar to what they were getting with the catamarans raced in 2017.
However, the boats will be a lot faster than those we saw in Bermuda, especially in “a big breeze” – Blair is pitching 50 knots (90km.h) or more!
“We will have a similar core group, but roles may change as we develop the boat,” he said.
And those innovative “cyclors” have gone, to be replaced by traditional grinders. “This time we require more cardio than raw power, with the ability to work for 30 minutes or more at a time,” he said.
A change in the nationality rules means there will be more New Zealanders in the team, or in the case of former helmsman Dean Barker, he’s had to move to the US so he can compete as helmsman for American Magic.
On his Volvo Ocean Race campaign, Blair said it was an ambition to become the first person to win an Olympics, America’s Cup, and Volvo Ocean Race triple, and he was thrilled when he was invited to join the crew of Spanish boat Mapfre as helmsman.
He described an incredibly hard race, with 130 days at sea, awake for three days at a time.
It was a superb talk, with the philosophy of this 29-year-old from Kerikeri simple: “It’s important that you have balance in your life, otherwise you don’t think out of the box. You have to keep learning and adapting all the time”.
Caption
Blair Tuke (left) and Peter Burling on the top of the podium at the 2016 Olympics.
