In the high-stakes, zero-margin world of America’s Cup sailing, no helmsman has been more synonymous with success than Peter Burling. And yet, after a decade of making America's Cup history with Emirates Team New Zealand, the Kiwi sailor has parted company with the team with which he has won three straight AC cycles.
The announcement, released today by both parties, ends one of the most successful partnerships in the event’s modern era. According to the release Burling's exit comes after discussions between the team management and Burling – which had been ongoing since the end of AC37 in Barcelona – had failed produce an agreement.
“Pete has been a central figure who has grown incredibly within Emirates Team New Zealand since he joined 10 years ago,” said Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton. “We can all look back with great pride on what has been achieved.”
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It appears, however, that the America's Cup landscape is shifting fast.
As the press release puts it: 'With the America’s Cup now shaping up to be contested in more regular cycles, the requirements on team members are changing. As the balance between design, simulation, boat build, testing and racing windows become more compressed, the integration of key sailors with the design team becomes more critical than ever.'
Dalton puts it plainly: “What has enabled winning in the past does not always equate to winning in the future.”
For Burling, the departure marks the end of a remarkable chapter and he leaves a legacy that will be hard to match.
“While I won’t be continuing with Emirates Team New Zealand for the 38th America’s Cup, I want to take a moment to reflect on an amazing journey,” Burling says in the statement. “From intense battles to unforgettable victories, and friendships that extend well beyond sailing… I’m immensely proud of everything we’ve achieved.”
Unsurprisingly, the press release was spare on detail about what’s next for Burling or the America's Cup holders. According to the release, the team is already deep into a restructure to compensate for Burling's departure—pulling together what it calls “a powerful combination of existing experience and new talent.”
What's next for Burling is unclear at this stage. A move to another AC syndicate would doubtless be lucrative, but it's hard to understand how the current strict nationality rules would make this a feasible option.
The announcement of Burling's exit from Emirates Team New Zealand comes straight after the earlier news that Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Britannia will now not be challenging for the next America's Cup.
It's hard not to feel that the Kiwis might be orchestrating a 'clearing the decks', perhaps ahead of an imminent announcement of the protocol and venue for AC38.
