Rod Davis – Sailor and Coach
Rod has over 40 years experience with the America’s Cup, having joined Enterprise for the 1977 America’s Cup defense trials as a bowman, since then he has gone on to skipper the event three times (including 1992 in San Diego for New Zealand) and has coached six teams. He has been with Emirates Team New Zealand since 2004. For the last America’s Cup challenge, Rod was the match racing coach in Auckland for Emirates Team New Zealand.
In Olympic sailing, Rod has won gold in the Soling class (1984) and Silver in the Star Class (1992), he has also had two fifth placings.
Rod is currently coaching around the world for Kiwi youth and professional international sailing teams, and is preparing to race his OK dinghy in the 2019 World Champs to be held in Auckland.
At the opening dinner for the Port Nicholson Regatta in 2018, Rod will be talking about the 2017 America’s Cup win in Bermuda and the long path to redemption, which will include the following:
- Harsh lessons from blowing an 8-1 lead in 2013
- The rethink of ETNZ for 2017 – purge of the old, and in with the new. The Dean Barker fiasco; an Aussie to skipper the Kiwi boat; working in isolation; and all their eggs in one basket.
- Off the water games of the America’s Cup, uneven playing field; spies (and more spies!) Changing rules, shady dealings and, at times, down right dirty games.
- The racing in Bermuda, and things no one ever expected.
- The future, now that ETNZ have the Cup – what is in store for the next one?