He’s the Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Team New Zealand and competing hard now in his tenth America’s Cup having started as a trimmer on board the Plastic Fantastic KZ7 of New Zealand’s first entry way back in 1987.
Recently inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, Kevin Shoebridge, ubiquitously known as Shoeb, is very much a focal point for everyone in Emirates Team New Zealand with a will to succeed that is renowned in America’s Cup circles.
Ahead of the Preliminary Regatta that starts on 22 August, the first time that we will see the new generation of AC75s being raced for real and it will be an early indicator of team’s progress.
Emirates Team New Zealand, as the holders and defenders of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup are the team that everyone benchmarks against, but how confident are the team themselves in their preparations.
“It’s the America’s Cup and anything can happen so confidence needs to be focused in the right direction,’ says Shoebridge. “It’s always a ticking clock and each team works on their own timelines for their own programs.”