When Kazuhiko “Fuku” Sofuku and I arrived in May of last year, building a team from scratch was a very daunting project and seemed nearly impossible. Looking at the space in Dockyard to set up our operations for the first time was overwhelming.

Starting an America’s Cup team is no easy task and it was clear that there was a very long road ahead of us. As the final team to enter into the 35th America’s Cup, we had to not only be a fully operational team within a few months, but catch up to and compete against five well-established teams with some of the best sailors in the world.

With very long nights, little downtime, a bit of patience and, most importantly, lots of support, SoftBank Team Japan has become what it is today.

With your help we’ve had the opportunity to grow from a team of two to 46 people from nine different countries, (including Bermuda) who relocated to the island and are collectively enjoying 35 Bermudian properties, breathtaking scenery on the way to work everyday, nearly perfect weather, friendly people and a safe environment for our families.

We rely on 60-plus vendors and suppliers in Bermuda for our day-to-day operations and a large part of our success is due to your warm welcome and generous support.

Dockyard is a great facility for America’s Cup racing and the Great Sound has proven to be an amazing venue. It’s changeable; where two days are never the same and from a competitive point of view, it works extremely well because we can constantly look forward to something new.

Dull? Never in Bermuda.

Our families have so much access to different sports and after-school activities. With short commutes, they have the opportunity to get involved in numerous extracurricular activities, helping to shape them into well-rounded individuals.

They’ve made fantastic friends and, although I know some of the locals can find it “cold” in the “winter”, it’s a stunningly beautiful and an ideal place to live and set up shop!

To ACBDA, we appreciate your selfless efforts to make our lives a little easier.

To all of Bermuda: thank you for the tremendous support you’ve shown to the team and this event. We enjoy having you drop by to take a look at what we do and we’re eager to show you what’s in store for next year.

The J-Class boats, the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, the superyacht event and more that will grace Bermuda’s shores will have the island buzzing.

What a brilliant time to be in Bermuda.