America's Cup: Jimmy Spithill speaks at the AC45 launch in Auckland

5:17 AM Tue 8 Feb 2011 GMT

'34th America’s Cup - AC45 celebration James Spithill' Gilles Martin-Raget/www.americascup.com Click Here to view large photo

America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill was on stage this morning at the Viaduct Harbour for the launch and blessing of the AC45 prototype. The spot on which he was standing was not too far away from where his America's Cup career began as a 20year old, aboard the Young Australia, which was berthed on the opposite side of the harbour (the budget didn't stretch to a base, so they worked off a barge), and the rest, as they say is history. Here Spithill recalls the early days and looks ahead to the next era of the America's Cup in the ...

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by Richard Gladwell