America's Cup challenger Emirates Team New Zealand's bowman works on the bow during a training session two days before the America's Cup match race against defender Alinghi of Switzerland in Valencia, yesterday. - Reuters

VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters):

SEVEN YEARS ago, Brad Butterworth fed tactics to a fresh-faced Dean Barker as he steered New Zealand to a stunning 5-0 America's Cup victory.

Tomorrow, they will compete for the 32nd America's Cup, but this time skippering the two rival boats.

Butterworth, 48, was one of six Team New Zealand sailors who switched to Swiss syndicate Alinghi, the America's Cup holder, after winning the event in 1995 and defending it in 2000.

In the 2000 series, Barker was hired to helm the second Kiwi boat as a sparring partner to his mentor Russell Coutts.

With a 4-0 lead in the America's Cup, Coutts handed his understudy the wheel for the final race against Luna Rossa and Barker, then just 27, sailed New Zealand across the line to become the first non-U.S. team to defend the Cup.

Joyful elation turned to gutting frustration in 2003 when Barker skippered Team New Zealand against his former team mates and was thrashed 5-0 by Alinghi in the Hauraki Gulf.

"You learn so much more from a bad loss than a good win," said Barker, who almost gave up sailing when he failed to be selected for the 1996 Olympics.

The hard work Barker and his U.S. tactician Terry Hutchinson have put in since 2003 led Team New Zealand to the top of the table in the America's Cup warm-up series in 2004 and 2006.

Kiwis drawbacks

In the Louis Vuitton Cup, the Kiwis lost only five of 32 races, their tight match racing style grinding down one opponent after the next.

Butterworth, who started his America's Cup career in 1983 as part of the sail team on Australia II, has won a reputation as one of the best match race tacticians in the world since then, reading the wind and his opponents like a book.

While in 2003 Coutts and Butterworth's age and experience together won out over youth and confusion aboard New Zealand, this year it is Barker and Hutchinson who have had more time together as helmsman and tactician.

Coutts was sacked from Alinghi in 2004 and Butterworth was promoted to skipper. His tactical decisions will now be executed by either Ed Baird or Peter Holmberg, who have both been training as helmsman.

"I have a great pool of experience around me," Butterworth said. "We just have to use that and be the best we can be on the given day and I think we will be ok."