The Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team were well tuned for the World Championships after a solid preparation in New Zealand and England prior to travelling to the Czech Republic. In the 2001 edition sailed on a Lake North of Brno in the Czech Republic the conditions were as expected, light winds. Most sailors would realise the significance of this, the possibility of not completing the full compliment of races. In a team racing event this meant that the result might hinge on the round robin, rather than the round robin and a finals series. The Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team sailed particularly well early in the regatta beating medal contenders Great Britain 2 and Australia 1 convincingly. In the race against USA 1, despite a mistake by umpires meaning one New Zealand boat was given four penalty turns instead of two, the two remaining New Zealand boats sailed well to convert a precarious 1-3–6 into a 1-2-6 to the amazement of spectators. Despite this commanding performance the press reports continued to talk mostly about how strong the United States teams were. The Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team had some challenging races in the second round robin with close losses to the Netherlands and Great Britain 1 and close victories against Ireland 1 and Australia 2. Finally in one of the final races in the round robin the top two teams in the world USA 2 and the Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team met for the championship decider. The United States led off the start line but the lead switched throughout the race, and prior to the final mark the United States held a good advantage. Despite this, the Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team were determined, the three New Zealand boats engaged in a titanic tacking duel with the three United States boats to break cover. The New Zealand boats sailed into a 1-3-5 winning combination for victory and another world title.

With each bit of support for the campaign to win another world title the determination of the New Zealand team grew more and more. Emails of encouragement were gratefully received from New Zealand’s top small town, Kerikeri and Team New Zealand. The support from the Kerikeri Cruising Club, Cathay Pacific, Line 7, Kerikeri Business and Trusts meant the Cathay Pacific New Zealand Team were well prepared for the event. It was amazing for a New Zealand team to win the ISAF World Team Racing Championships once but to do it twice is unbelievable. In February 2003 New Zealanders will get to see the worlds top team racers in action at the next ISAF World Team Racing Championships. The venue will be in New Zealand between the Louis Vuiton and America’s Cup outside the Viaduct Harbour.