For the 2000 and 2003 Americas Cups in Auckland NZ Ross Vennell was Team New Zealand's Oceanographer. Projects included tidal curent and wave prediction. Currents in the America's Cup race area were measured using Otago University's Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. This technology assisted Team New Zealand with tactical decisions during races through onboard software. Particularly in light winds, the crew needed to know if currents differ in different areas of the race course, so they can ensure they are in a more favourable current than the other boat. The ADCP is mounted on the side of TNZ's tender in an aluminium foil (below). The top of the ADCP's orange tube can be seen just above the water. ADCPs measure water currents from a moving boat using sound. The measurements were combined with a hydrodynamic model of currents developed by Auckland Civil Engineering PhD student Paul Corney (below). Paul was funded by a GRIF fellowship with Montgomery-Watson, consulting engineers.