Craig's story is one of grinding his way to the top in pursuit of his dreams. A young boy who transformed himself from a skinny little teenager into one hell of a big, mean grinding machine—part of the engine room on board Black Magic, the New Zealand team that won the America’s Cup in 1995 in San Deigo and then successfully defended it on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf in 2000.

 

EARLY YEARS

Craig was born and bred in Taranaki. Like most kiwi lads growing up in provincial New Zealand he developed a passion for competitive sport very early on. His passions were rugby and running. By 11 years of age he was captain of the Spotswood Primary School rugby team. By this stage he was also a keen runner (taking after his dad who had run competitively in the 1950s against Peter Snell double, Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics).

At 9 years of age Craig’s mother sent him to a school fancy dress party as John Walker (legendary New Zealand gold medalist at Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 - and Craig’s sporting idol at that time). Rugby and athletics were clearly his passions and both were figuring in his dreams for the future. But then along came a new sport called sailing.

INTRODUCTION TO SAILING

Craig’s introduction to sailing was through his dad (Al Monk) who, acting on an impulse one weekend, purchased the first family yacht (a sunburst dingy). No one in the Monk family had ever sailed before. So Craig, his brother and their dad jumped into sailing at the proverbial “deep end”. Not surprisingly, they often spent more time in the water than on the water. But learn to sail he did.

At the age of 12 Craig and his family moved to Auckland (the City of Sails). There he attended Auckland Grammar which nurtured a new found competitiveness to go with his already growing passion for sailing. In 1984 Craig was part of the victorious Auckland Grammar sailing team which won the inaugural New Zealand Secondary Schools sailing champs (a competition that still runs today). At this stage a young teenager who left school at 6th form to follow his dream of Olympic glory—against the advice of the then Auckland Grammar Headmaster who told him ‘you’ll never make a living out of yachting son’.

In August 1984 the New Zealand Olympic Sailing Team was victorious at the Los Angeles Olympic Games winning two gold medals and one silver medal.

 

CRAIG’S QUEST FOR OLYMPIC GLORY

And so the dye was cast. Craig’s dream of Olympic glory was born. His goal was the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But despite training full time for four years, this was not to be. He had to face the disappointment of not realizing his dream of being selected to represent New Zealand.

Craig responded in the only way he knew howing—work harder, longer, smarter for the next Games. The road to Barcelona beckoned. And this time he was selected and he was successful in the Finn class. And in doing so he joined the elite group of New Zealanders who have won an Olympic medal (107 as of 2004).

The following year (1993) Russell Coutts invited Craig to join the “Team New Zealand Campaign” of going in search of America’s Cup glory. Craig had a year to make the transition from being an internationally successful single handed Finn class sailor to being a team based sailor in the specialized role of grinder.

It was time to grunt up. That 12—18 months was a “...long and grinding road…” as Craig rose to yet another challenge. By the time cup racing began Craig weighed in at 110 kilograms and sailed in all 43 races of the victorious 95 America’s Cup Campaign. The campaign that bought the “Auld Mug” home. And the rest of story is, as they say, history...

 

AMERICAS CUP

  • 1995 America’s Cup Winner (San Diego)
  • 2000 America’s Cup Winner (Auckland, New Zealand)
  • 2001-2003 OneWorld Challenge (Seattle, USA)
  • 2003-2007 BMW Oracle Racing (San Francisco, USA) Sailing Team Manager

OLYMPICS

  • 1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist (Barcelona Spain)
  • 1996 13th Olympic Games (Atlanta USA)

SAILING RESUME

  • 1980 1st P Class Tanner Cup Invitational Race
  • 1983 1st P Class Tanner Cup, 2nd P Class Tanner Cup, 1st NZ Starling Nationals
  • 1984 2nd NZ Youth Trials, 1st NZ Secondary Schools
  • 1985 1st OK Dinghy Youth Worlds, 1st NZ Youth Trials, 4th World Youth Champs
    (OK Dinghy)
  • 1986 Finn Class
  • 1988 3rd NZ Olympic Trails (Finn Class)
  • 1989 1st NZ Finn Nationals, 1st Canadian
    Nationals, First Olympicsail
  • 1990 8th Goodwill Sailing, 1st NZ Nationals
  • 1991 1st NZ Nationals at Olympic Sail
  • 1993 # 1 ranked in world (Finn Class)
  • 1994 1st Gold Medalist Goodwill Games (St Petersburg, Russia)
  • 1997 1st Olympic Sail (Finn Class), 1st Fastnet Race (Morning Glory), 2nd Maxiboat
    World (Morning Glory)

AWARDS

  • 1990 AGC Young Achiever
  • 1994 Sports hall of fame
  • 1995 Yachtsman of the Year (TNZ)
  • 1996-2000 Hillary Commission Sports Ambassador, NZ Way Sports Ambassador
  • 1998 Nike Athlete Ambassador
  • 2000 Yachtsman of the Year (TNZ)
  • A record 8 NZ consecutive Finn National Titles

 

 
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