For all the talk of foiling angles, wind shifts, and hydraulic systems, life inside one of the world’s most successful America’s Cup campaigns is often far more relatable than outsiders might expect. According to the team themselves, the vast majority of daily conversation at the Emirates Team New Zealand base revolves around two timeless topics: what’s for lunch and the weather.
“99% of the time we talk about ‘what’s for lunch?’ and the weather,” the team shared in characteristically self-deprecating fashion, before giving a nod to their shore-side kitchen crew, who they say would “definitely win the America’s Culinary Cup.”
It is a lighthearted glimpse into the human side of a campaign that operates at the absolute cutting edge of competitive sailing — and a reminder that even the most technologically advanced teams on the planet still run on good food and camaraderie.
The Importance of Team Culture in Cup Campaigns
Empirical evidence from decades of America’s Cup history suggests that team culture is every bit as decisive as boat speed when it comes to winning the Auld Mug. The gruelling, multi-year design-and-build cycles that characterize modern Cup campaigns mean that sailors, designers, engineers, shore crew, and support staff spend thousands of hours together. In that environment, morale matters enormously.
Emirates Team New Zealand have long been recognized for cultivating a tight-knit, egalitarian team atmosphere — a quality widely attributed to New Zealand’s broader sporting culture. From their base operations during the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona to the ongoing development phase aboard Taihoro, their AC75 yacht, the Kiwi syndicate has consistently placed as much emphasis on people as on performance.
The galley, far from being an afterthought, is a cornerstone of that culture. Professional kitchen crews are now standard across top-tier America’s Cup teams, providing nutritionally optimized meals that fuel the physical demands of sailing an AC75 while also serving as a social hub where relationships are built and maintained.
Taihoro and the Road Ahead
Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC75, Taihoro — a name derived from te reo Māori meaning “to travel swiftly upon the ocean” — has become one of the most closely watched boats in the sport. The team’s successful defense record and reputation for innovation make every update from their camp a subject of intense scrutiny among sailing fans and rival syndicates alike.
The AC75 class continues to push the boundaries of yacht design. These fully foiling monohulls, first introduced for the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021, require extraordinary coordination between helmsman, trimmers, and flight controllers — all while travelling at speeds that regularly exceed 40 knots. The physical toll on sailors is immense, making proper nutrition and recovery a genuine competitive advantage.
It is no surprise, then, that teams invest heavily in their kitchen operations. The concept of an “America’s Culinary Cup” — which Emirates Team New Zealand jokingly referenced — may sound whimsical, but it speaks to a real and growing recognition across professional sailing that fueling athletes properly is a performance differentiator.
More Than Just Boat Speed
As the sailing world looks ahead to the next chapter of America’s Cup competition, Emirates Team New Zealand remain one of the sport’s most fascinating operations to follow. Their willingness to show the lighter, more human moments of campaign life — the lunch debates, the weather chat, the appreciation for their shore crew — offers a valuable counterpoint to the relentless technical narrative that dominates Cup coverage.
Behind every foiling tack and boundary-pushing design decision, there is a team of people who need to eat well, laugh often, and trust each other implicitly. If Emirates Team New Zealand’s kitchen crew is as good as the sailors say, that is one more quiet advantage the defenders can count on when the pressure is at its highest.
