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Azzurra celebrate their win - Source: Photosport -
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Italian skipper Francesco Bruni is feeling confident, but also knows his Azzurra crew face a tough task over the next fortnight to repeat their Louis Vuitton Trophy yachting success.
Back in November, Azzurra downed favourites Team New Zealand 2-0 off Nice, in neighbouring France, to claim the world circuit's inaugural regatta.
The circuit's second stop is Auckland, where racing in America's Cup boats gets under way on Tuesday, culminating in the final on March 21.
"We've done some good training and I feel confident," Bruni said.
"Of course, I know it is going to be a lot harder here in New Zealand because we're not playing at home."
Apart from Azzurra, hosts Team NZ, with Dean Barker at the helm, will be joined on the Waitemata Harbour by six other entries -- All4One (France/Germany), Artemis (Sweden) Aleph (France), Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Synergy (Russia) and Team Origin (Britain).
All eight skippers have been part of America's Cup campaigns.
They include New Zealander Gavin Brady on board Mascalzone, and Briton and former Team NZ back-up helmsman Ben Ainslie, who is with Team Origin.
Bruni said the breezes off Auckland were likely to be stronger than they were off Nice, where the conditions favoured the Italians.
He also said Azzurra had also taken a leaf from Team NZ's page in their preparations.
"There was no big secret," he said of the win four months ago.
"It was a good group of people, very tight like Team NZ. We took the example of Team NZ and we did our best. It was also probably our lucky week."
Azzurra is an iconic name in Italian sailing, being the first Italian syndicate to enter the America's Cup.
They challenged for the Auld Mug in 1983, the year Australia 2 ended the New York Yacht Club's 132-year hold on the Auld Mug, and in 1986, when New Zealand entered the fray.
"It was the name that made Italians start talking about sailing as a sport," Bruni said.
Azzurra have been absent from subsequent cup regattas, but have relaunched with a view to mounting another challenge.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy grew out of the success of the one-off Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland a year ago.
The Pacific Series was a chance to get sailors back competing at a time when the America's Cup remained caught up in the court battle between then holders Alinghi, of Switzerland, and American syndicate Oracle.
Team NZ ended up taking the title, beating Alinghi in the final.
Barker said it was difficult to predict where the toughest competition would come from among the present fleet.
There were a lot of strong teams in the mix and the expected tricky conditions would also play their part.
"We know the racing venue out there is pretty difficult at the best of times, with currents and unpredictable winds," he said.
"It's something for us to work on."
