"It was our way of expelling ghosts," Team New Zealand's managing director, Grant Dalton, said.

His first appearance was as a watch captain in 2001-02 on Amer Sports 1, skippered by Grant Dalton.

She is still on a latitude 60 miles to the north of the New Zealand ketch, whose skipper Grant Dalton was going even further south.

But the government and Barker decided to push ahead with a new team leader: Grant Dalton, one of the most successful ocean racers in the world.

The W60 skippers almost unanimously insisted they were in a 'completely different boat race', to the fury of Grant Dalton skippering a maxi.

The 2000 race was won by Club Med, skippered by Grant Dalton in 62d 6h 56' 33".

The leader is Club Med, the 110-foot catamaran skippered by Grant Dalton of New Zealand.

"It was one of those races where every meter counted," said Grant Dalton, the head of Team New Zealand.

Peter Blake and Grant Dalton both became famous through success in the Whitbread Round the World Race.

Former competitor and skipper, Grant Dalton stated the new design "attacks the single problem that surrounds our sport at the moment, and that is ridiculous cost."