Simon Daubney, Genoa Trimmer for Team New Zealand, on winning today: “We’re very happy after the long, long wait to finally go racing today, and we’re very happy with the result. It was a good race. It was pretty interesting on that first beat as well – pretty interesting in the start too. I think it’s going to be a good contest. The boats seem pretty even in speed and the teams seem to be in a pretty high state of readiness. It’s all on, I think.”

Francesco de Angelis, Skipper of Luna Rossa, on the third crossing on the first beat: “Most of the race was theirs. They were able to get a righty puff, with a lot of pressure. They came down with a lot of speed so we weren’t able to leebow as we had done with a couple of tacks before. After that, they sailed very well. This was a race where you could make a little gain as well, being in front.”

Torben Grael, tactician of Luna Rossa, on whether Luna Rossa could cross on the first beat: “The second cross was the best one for us but still it would have been very scary to cross them, especially against those very experienced guys. It was early in the race and we shouldn’t risk a cross like that. We tacked to leeward and we lost after that. But I think we wouldn’t have been able to cross anyway.”

Warwick Fleury, mainsheet trimmer for Team New Zealand, on whether it was an easy win: “No, it wasn’t easy. Races like that in those conditions come down to whoever gets a little jump sometimes. I think, as Francesco said, once a boat got ahead, there were opportunities to extend, especially upwind. I think that’s what happened. It goes back to that crossing situation. If Prada had been able to squeak across, then it may have been a different result.”

Warwick Fleury, on why Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth were absent from the press conference: “They’ve got a lot on. This is our first race, of course, and I think they wanted to spend some time together, debriefing amongst themselves.”

Warwick Fleury, on whether Coutts and Butterworth will attend future press conferences: “I don’t know.”

Francesco de Angelis, Skipper of Luna Rossa, on how it feels to lose: “It’s a beginning. Someone has to win and someone has to lose. It would be nice if it would have been the opposite (result) but it’s just the first day. You know, if we go back to that cross, if we could have put a leebow that would stick, it could have been a different day.”