Sailing in Valencia - Alinghi and Team Emirates New Zealand - The America's Cup

The America’s Cup MIKE O'NEILL WITH THE LOWDOWN

PICTURES OF THE LAST DAY'S RACING AND THE PRIZE-GIVING CEREMONY BY MIKE O'NEILL AND TIM BIRCH HERE
Day eight - TUESDAY 03JULY - CLICK HERE FOR THE FINAL RACE
Day seven - SUNDAY 01 JULY - CLICK HERE
Day six - SATURDAY 30 JUNE - CLICK HERE
Day five - FRIDAY 29JUNE - CLICK HERE
Day four WEDNESDAY 27JUNE - CLICK HERE
Day three TUESDAY 26 JUNE - CLICK HERE
Day two - SUNDAY 24 JUNE - CLICK HERE
Day one - SATURDAY 23 JUNE - CLICK HERE

STOP PRESS - JULY 05 The 33rd America's Cup Protocol
Thursday 5th July, 12:00
Press Conference Room of the 32nd America’s Cup
WITH
Brad Butterworth, Skipper, Alinghi
Michel Bonnefous, CEO, ACM
Hamish Ross, General Counsel, Alinghi
Agustín Zulueta, Director, Desafío Español

In a packed press room today at Port America's Cup Michel Bonnefous, CEO of ACM announced the Protocol for the 33rd America's Cup. Everyone in the room was obviously expecting to hear when, and more importantly where the 33rd America's cup will take place. Mr Bonnefous kept us all waiting. First he showed a short one minute film of this event, then he gave statistics as they stand at the moment, on the 32nd America's Cup and praised Valencia for being a superb venue for it.

He then got to the protocol.

First: The Challenger of Record is Desafío Español (Club Náutico Español de Vela)

Second: Venue has yet to be decided as has the next date. IF Valencia is chosen it will take place, most probably in 2009. If another venue is chosen then more likely date is no later 2011. The final announcement could be very soon if agreement can be reached with Valencia but will in any case be no later than December 31 2007. The timing of the event will be dictated by venue chosen.

Third: Regatta Structure. This will be as follows:
The Main Event - On the year of the Match, the Main Event will Comprise Trials (Pre-Regattas), Challenger Selection and Match
Qualifying Pre-Regattas - May be run to select competitors for the Main Event in the year(s) before the Main Event
The Match - Format will be the same as for the 32nd America's Cup
Defender to compete in Qualifying Regattas and Trials

Fourth: Organisational Structure
Event Authority - America's Cup Management (ACM) to continue as Event Authority
Competitor Commission - Involves Challengers, the Defender and ACM
Sailing Jury - (reduced to three) To Adjudicate on competitive matters
Arbitration Panel - For all other issues and as an appeal body

Fifth: Crews and Designers
Nationality Rules - No nationality restrictions
Transfer between teams - Restrictions will apply. Designers locked in to a Team 30 days after Class Rule. Crew locked into a team after 01 October 2008

Sixth: Yachts - New Class of Yacht for the Main Event
Maximum length of 90ft overall monohull
Draft 6.5 Metres, but required to be able to reduce to approx. 4 metres to allow port access
To be laminated in country of competing Yacht Club
Possible restriction to only one new yacht per Competitor
Class rule to be issued by ACM before 31 December 2007
18-month period between the issue of the Class Rule and the first race in the Class
Current ACC version 5.0 Yachts to be used for the potential qualifying Regattas

Then it was to the floor for questions, among them the question that if it was true that Mr Bonnefous was stepping down as CEO, who would replace him? Brad Butterworth joked that he would now be running it, Mr Bonnefous would not be led.
Hamish Ross was asked if Team Origin knew of the change of rule for the new style yacht, did he think that they would be happy with their purchase of the old Alinghi boat, Ross smiled and said he was sure they would be very happy as they would need it for the Qualifying Regattas. On the subject of Valencia for the 33rd, Mr Bonnefous added that it was not necessarily a financial discussion with Valencia but more of a logistical one to do with the proposed works and extension to the port, adding that if an accord can be reached with VLC then the decision could be very quick.
©tvb 2007

STOP PRESS - PROTEST OUTCOME
The America’s Cup jury heard the protest submitted by Emirates Team New Zealand against Alinghi at 11.00 Thursday 28 June. After five hours of deliberation, the jury decided by a majority verdict to dismiss ETNZ’s claim that Alinghi had failed to demonstrate that they could lower their mainsail without sending a man aloft.

The Final Countdown – America’s Cup 2007

In case you were unaware, all the fuss and commotion that has been gradually building in Valencia over this much-publicised event is about to reach a crescendo.

At precisely 15.00 on Saturday 23 June, a gun will signal the start of Race 1 between Alinghi, defenders of and Emirates Team New Zealand, challengers for the America’s Cup. A series of 9 races is scheduled but the first team to win 5 will take the trophy.

There are many ‘firsts’ being celebrated in this 32nd America’s Cup. Most significantly, this will be the first time the Cup has been raced for in Europe since the original race in 1851. This is the first in which Louis Vuitton have organised a series of ‘Chapters’ over a period of 3 years, exposing all eleven challengers plus the defender to a much wider audience. The resulting press and TV coverage has been immense and will intensify over the next few days.

There is quite a bit of history between these two teams. New Zealand, having won the Cup from the Americans in 1995, successfully defended it in 2000. During 2002, a disagreement between Russell Coutts(45), the winning skipper and the New Zealand team management, led to a walkout by Coutts and key members of his crew. They agreed to race for Team Alinghi, headed by Swiss businessman Ernesto Bertarelli (41) and won the 31st America’s Cup series 5–0.

During 2004, Bertarelli and Coutts fell out over plans for the handling of the next series (the winning team gets to choose where to race, etc) and parted company. So now, the Kiwis are back seeking revenge, having disposed of ten would-be challengers on the way. They have a race-hardened crew and a determined skipper/helmsman in the shape of Dean Barker (34).

Alinghi, on the other hand, have had their pick of the world’s best helmsmen, designers, boatbuilders, sailmakers and crew. They have chosen Jochen Schuemann (53), a triple Olympic gold-medallist as Sports Director, Grant ‘Mad Dog’ Simmer (51), navigator on Australia II as Managing Director and Brad Butterworth (48) tactician on last 3 successful AC yachts as skipper and tactician. What they have not yet declared is who will steer the boat! Ed Baird (49) is the leading contender, having helmed Alinghi throughout the last Louis Vuitton Act in April. But Peter Holmberg (47) is a credible contender. Both are world-class match racing helmsmen and both will be eager to crown their racing careers with the task of securing the America’s Cup for Alinghi, just as Russell Coutts did in 2003.

Racing will take place just a mile or so off Malvarossa beach and, whilst it will not provide the best close-up view, take a radio and tune in to FM 99.5 to hear the live action blow-by-blow account in English. [This frequency only covers the Port area and surroundings]. As this is being written, there are still places to be had on some of the spectator boats. Contact www.thisisvalencia.com for details. Otherwise, get down to one of the screens at Port America’s Cup to watch the action and cheer the teams as they come back in.

The first two races take place on Saturday and Sunday (23 and 24 June), followed by a lay day on Monday 25th. Races 3 and 4 are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday (26 and 27 June) with another rest on Thursday. Race 5 is planned for Friday 29 June with races 6 & 7 (if needed!) on Saturday 30 June and Sunday 1 July. If the series goes to the wire (as most people hope), the final two races are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday 3 & 4 July.

Races planned for:
1 Sat 23 June
2 Sun 24 June

Mon 25 Lay day

3 Tues 26 June
4 Wed 27 June

Thurs 28 Lay Day

5 Fri 29 June
6 Sat 30 June
7 Sun 1 July

Mon 2 July Lay Day

8 Tues 3 July
9 Wed 4 July

Thur 5 July Reserve Day]
Fri 6 July Reserve Day
Sat 7 July Reserve Day

RACE 1 SATURDAY 23 JUNE 2007

Team Alinghi, sailing their new boat SUI 100 met Emirates Team New Zealand on the waters off Valencia for what promises to be the most exciting series of races for the America´s Cup since 1987. In that year, Dennis Connor of America beat a young New Zealand team in the challenger finals. Part of that Kiwi team was a 27 year-old named Brad Butterworth.

Today this same New Zealander is skipper and tactician aboard Alinghi, facing his fellow-countrymen across the narrow stretch of water that is the starting area for the 32nd America´s Cup. Alinghi, with American Ed Baird steering, entered from the less-favoured port end and immediately engaged Emirates Team NZ in a duel, chasing the Kiwis off beyond the start boat. As both boats headed back for the start, it seemed that Ed Baird had got the better of Dean Barker and looked able to prevent the Kiwis from starting on time. Just then Alinghi hit a series of waves which slowed the yacht and forced Baird to bear away for more speed. Team New Zealand powered off the line at full speed and, for the next five minutes, seemed to have the edge on speed. The New Zealanders tacked away to what was supposed to be the favoured righthand side of the course, followed a few minutes later by Alinghi. With both yachts on port tack, it suddenly became clear that Alinghi had slightly more breeze. Team NZ tacked back towards Alinghi and forced the Swiss yacht to tack in front but below them. The Kiwi yacht was not looking comfortable in the disturbed air coming from Alinghi´s sails and tacked away. This happened twice more and, on the fourth meeting after twenty minutes´sailing, Alinghi was able to cross in front of ETNZ. A tacking duel followed but Alinghi had found her pace and rounded the windward mark 13 seconds in the lead.

Both spinnakers were set with impressive speed and the two yachts raced down towards the leeward mark, gybing just four times. Alinghi´s downwind speed was good in these conditions and Emirates Team NZ lost a further 7 seconds on this leg. The Kiwis finally picked up a useful lift on the right of the course and regained most of the lost ground, reaching the windward mark 14 seconds behind. Emirates Team NZ picked up some good wind pressure on the lefthand side of the course but Alinghi was quick to respond and raced over to cover. A series of seventeen gybes followed, during which Alinghi made further gains to cross the finish 35 seconds in front of Team NZ.

Over 850 support and spectator boats watched this first race for the America's Cup and many of those on board must have wondered if they were about to witness a repeat of the Louis Vuitton Finals, with one boat clearly outpacing the other. This was not the case today but the Swiss team must feel relieved that their new boat does not lack for speed. Sunday´s forecast is for lighter conditions which are said to favour Emirates Team NZ. The new Alinghi´s performance in these conditions is not yet known but, at around five pm on Sunday, we shall have a better idea. One thing is certain, Brad Butterworth´s experience over the past twenty years will surely be put to the test.

RACE 2, SUNDAY 24 JUNE 2007

If Emirates Team New Zealand were smarting after yesterday’s defeat at the hands of Alinghi, defenders of the America’s Cup, they were not showing it as they entered the race area for the pre-start duel. Dean Barker, who has grown in stature and confidence throughout the Louis Vuitton series, showed maturity and skill in his handling of the Kiwi boat leading into the starting sequence. Ed Baird, steering Alinghi, still seems to be getting used to the brand new Swiss yacht which appeared to be late and slow off the start line. However, sailing into a steady 10 knot breeze, within minutes Alinghi had climbed up towards Team NZ to the point where the Kiwis were forced to tack away.

When the two yachts came together again, Alinghi was ahead by 50 metres. From then on, Alinghi covered every move the Kiwis made and rounded the windward mark 19 seconds in front of EMTZ. A series of faultless gybes on the downwind leg brought the Kiwis to within 13 seconds at the turn. Alinghi chose to go left and then tacked to cover as EMTZ headed out to the right. When the New Zealand yacht went left, Alinghi carried on to the right. As the two yachts came together, it was clear that EMTZ had made a further gain. Alinghi tacked ahead and to leeward, hoping to force the Kiwis to tack away. This time it didn’t work and Dean Barker was able to carry the Swiss team all the way out to the starboard layline. When Barker tacked, Ed Baird was forced to follow in disturbed air up to the windward mark. The New Zealanders rounded 15 seconds ahead, having gained a massive 28 seconds on the third leg of the race. Alinghi tried every trick in the book to get back on terms with the New Zealanders, who matched them gybe-for-gybe. Emirates Team NZ crossed the finish line to level the score. Thunderous cheers came from the spectator fleet, which included several hundred New Zealanders who had made the 12,000 mile pilgrimage to support their team. At the post-race briefing Ray Davies, strategist on EMTZ said: ‘It’s been a long time coming for Team New Zealand to turn the tables.” Ernesto Bertarelli, president of Team Alinghi commented: ‘It’s the first defeat for Alinghi in an America’s Cup match and we hope it will be the last.”

My feeling at this stage is that Alinghi is the faster boat and that, as long as they manage to make fewer mistakes, they will win the series. This whole event, dominated as it has been by technical innovation, finally comes down to human error. The New Zealand team have shown themselves to be cool under pressure and have come back from seeming certain defeat to win time after time. The team aboard Alinghi, drawn from among the best sailors in the world regardless of nationality, have yet to prove themselves capable of the same peak of resilience. The term ‘faster’ at this level may be one-half of one percent. This translates into 7 or 8 seconds per leg of the course, an advantage easily lost in a bad tack or fumbled spinnaker take-down. The two yachts are scheduled to meet for the start of Race 3 at 15.00 on Tuesday 26 June.

RACE 3 – TUESDAY 26 JULY 2007

This was a race to match any sport for excitement and action. With the scores level at one race each, Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand both needed four more wins to clinch the series. As the two teams left the America’s Cup Port yesterday afternoon, the southern arm of the Port was lined with hundreds of New Zealanders waving their national flags and cheering. By contrast there were few Alinghi supporters to be seen and most of these cut rather solitary figures with the occasional Swiss flag on show. A quick glance at the crew list reveals that Ernesto Bertarelli, president of Team Alinghi, is the only Swiss national aboard. The other sixteen members of the crew are: 6 from New Zealand, 3 Americans, 2 Australians, 2 Italians, 1 Spaniard, 1 Canadian and one Dutchman, a truly international team but one which seems to inspire corporate rather than national pride.

The light breeze which greeted the teams out in the Bay of Valencia refused to settle and the race committee were forced to postpone twice before racing finally got under way at around five pm. The pre-start duel appeared to have been won by Ed Baird steering Alinghi, crossing the line a full 8 seconds ahead of Dean Barker at the helm of Emirates Team New Zealand. Just minutes into the race, it became clear that the Kiwis had sacrificed a good start to protect their chosen right hand side of the course. A massive wind-shift put them into an immediate five-length lead and it seemed that everything Alinghi did to try and reduce that lead on the first windward leg only increased the Kiwi advantage. ETNZ rounded the top mark 83 seconds ahead of Alinghi, a truly enormous margin at this level of sailing when you consider the first two races were won by 35 and 28 seconds. Alinghi managed to claw back 21 seconds on the downwind leg by locking into firmer breeze. As the two yachts approached the leeward mark, a sudden windshift forced the New Zealanders to change their plans and go for a windward takedown of their spinnaker, a difficult manoeuvre but one which the team had practised many times. As the rounded the mark, ETNZ seemed to be having trouble clearing the spinnaker and slowed down. Only later did it become clear they had lost a man over the bow. While they struggled upwind sorting out the mess, Alinghi rounded the mark and was immediately lifted in a new breeze. ETNZ was finally able to tack over and just managed to prevent the Swiss yacht from crossing. Alinghi immediately tacked away to the left and ETNZ continued to work the right side of the course. In the final tack for the windward mark, Alinghi finally managed to gain the lead and rounded 15 seconds ahead. The two boats separated on the run and each of them seemed favoured in turn by the breeze. Alinghi continued to favour the left, while ETNZ stuck resolutely to the right. Coming into the finish, Emirates Team NZ had the best angle and was able to cross Alinghi to take the gun with a 25 seconds lead.

At the press conference afterwards, Dean Phipps of Alinghi claimed: ‘it wasn’t an even boat race’ and went on to describe it as a lottery. Ernesto Bertarelli later took up the theme and said ‘it’s not exactly what sailing should be about’. Ray Davies, strategist on ETNZ commented ‘There were a number of lead changes throughout the race but I can’t count that high…”. Wednesday is also predicted to be light so the decision whether to race or not will be very carefully considered by the race committee.

RACE 4 – WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE

This was a crucial race for both teams. If Emirates Team New Zealand could get a third win, their confidence would be re-doubled knowing they were just two wins away from taking the America’s Cup. If Alinghi won, they would level the score and feel that their faith in technology and boatspeed had been justified. Wednesday dawned cloudy and breezy, with a 1.5m swell out on the North Course off Malvarossa beach. The wind was forecast to get lighter as the day progressed and when the ten minute signal was made at 14.50, the teams faced an 8 – 9 knot breeze. At the five minute signal, Alinghi made her entry from the starboard end of the line to meet Emirates Team NZ and immediately engaged the New Zealanders in a vigorous duel. At the gun Ed Baird, steering Alinghi, hit the line at speed and to windward of Dean Barker on ETNZ. The two yachts headed out to the lefthand side of the course, with Alinghi in control but never more than 20m and sometimes less than 4m ahead. Alinghi tacked first for the mark and ETNZ was forced to follow, rounding 20 seconds later. Downwind, both yachts tried to stay in phase with the shifting breeze, gybing four or five times on the way. As Alinghi approached the leeward ‘gate’ on port tack, the wind swung left, making it extremely difficult for the crew to keep the spinnaker pulling. As the Swiss yacht slowed, Emirates Team NZ gybed onto starboard, closing in all the time. Alinghi rounded 34 seconds ahead of ETNZ but with no pace. The Kiwi team sailed out towards the left whilst Alinghi stayed resolutely right. When ETNZ came back, they had gained some distance but Alinghi was still in control and rounded the weather mark 25 seconds in the lead. Emirates Team NZ set off downwind on starboard and Alinghi immediately gybed to cover. A further dozen gybes followed but the Swiss team were determined to hand on to the lead and crossed the line 30 seconds ahead of the New Zealanders to level the series. At the press briefing after the race Terry Hutchinson, tactician aboard Emirates Team NZ said: ‘we sailed a good race, there were just no opportunities to pass’. Brad Butterworth, skipper and tactician on Alinghi said: ‘these are the two best boats in the game; it doesn’t get any better than this’.

With the scores even at two wins apiece, it has been said that we are just starting a best of five series. But there is a subtle difference: until last Saturday, neither team had any clear picture of the performance potential of the new SUI 100 in a full-on match racing situation. Now both teams have a better idea of the new boat’s strengths and weaknesses and they will go into this next phase of the series determined to take advantage of them. From what we have seen so far, the new boat appears slow to accelerate in light airs. On the other hand, SUI 100 seems able to point higher than ETNZ in anything over 10 knots of breeze.

Friday promises a more typical Valencian weather pattern, with blue skies and a 15-18 knot sea breeze developing.

On the America’s Cup website www.americascup.com there is an opportunity to vote for your favourite. After four races, 105,000 votes have been cast. 55,000 of those believe it will be Emirates Team New Zealand. By the end of this race, we should all have a better idea of who we favour to win.

There is one cloud on Alinghi’s bright horizon; the race committee called for a mandatory inspection as they returned to port. Cup rules state that the mainsail must be capable of being lowered without sending a man aloft and it appears that Alinghi may have infringed that rule. ETNZ immediately submitted a protest which will be heard at 11.00 on Thursday. We will report back as soon as the outcome is decided.

RACE 5 – FRIDAY 29 JUNE
With almost perfect conditions and a 15 knot breeze, Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand came together in the starting area at five minutes to three. Dean Barker steering the Kiwi yacht bided his time before engaging Ed Baird on Alinghi in a ferocious duel, chasing the Swiss yacht into the spectator fleet. At one point, it appeared that Baird had turned the tables when he gybed onto starboard and came at EMTZ from behind the press boat. Barker simply turned away and headed for the start line, building speed as he went. Another confrontation just before the start forced Alinghi into a tack whilst the Kiwis stormed over the line at full speed and five seconds ahead. Alinghi gradually built their speed, heading out to the right. Emirates Team NZ tacked and sailed over to cover and appeared to have a 20m lead over the Swiss yacht. Alinghi’s much-discussed ability to sail higher than their opponents was not evident today. Indeed the two yachts seemed very evenly matched in the conditions. ETNZ led around the windward mark by 12 seconds and immediately set their spinnaker for what promised to be a brisk downwind leg. After about 8 minutes, the Kiwi crew noticed a small hole in their spinnaker and hurriedly prepared a replacement. Before it could be hoisted, the sail tore apart and the new sail was hauled up without the sheets having been attached. A third spinnaker was prepared but the confusion on the Kiwi foredeck resulted in the sail being twisted. Meanwhile Alinghi ploughed through to leeward and established a 5 boatlength lead before ETNZ were finally untangled. Alinghi led into the leeward mark by 26 seconds and headed to the right again. Emirates Team NZ chose to go left and Alinghi tacked back to cover. The Kiwis managed to close the gap during the leg but were still 24 seconds behind as the two yachts rounded the windward mark. ETNZ set their largest spinnaker for the downwind leg and made up more distance but Alinghi matched them gybe for gybe and crossed the line 19 seconds ahead. It is worth noting that the Kiwis lost 38 seconds during the disastrous first downwind leg.

Alinghi now lead the series 3 -2 but they are clearly aware that they still have an enormous task ahead of them. At the press conference after the race Grant Dalton, team leader on Emirates Team N Z said: “Something went wrong! This regatta is tight and you have to get it dead right.

Simon Daubney, mainsail trimmer on Alinghi responded: ‘Grant has said their team are making mistakes, but it’s not all going smoothly on our boat as well. The pressure is on here.”

The pressure is certainly on now, with Alinghi needing just two more wins to take the series. To put that into perspective, if the series goes to the full nine races, ETNZ need to win 3 out of the last 4 to win the cup. Race 6 is scheduled to start at 1500 Saturday 30 June and the forecast is for slightly less wind.

RACE 6 – SATURDAY 30 JUNE
The breeze was light as expected, with 7 – 10 knots being recorded at various times in the minutes leading up to the start. Alinghi came in from the favoured starboard end, meeting Emirates Team New Zealand and almost immediately locking into a fight to protect the right. At one point it looked as if Ed Baird, steering Alinghi was going to be able to shut out Dean Barker on ETNZ at the port end of the line. A determined Barker wriggled out of the situation and, after one last tussle, the two boats started more or less even, with Alinghi still holding on to the right of Emirates Team NZ.

After several minutes, Dean Barker was able to squeeze up under Alinghi, forcing the Swiss yacht to tack away. ETNZ found a nice gain on the left and tacked back towards Alinghi, forcing the Swiss yacht to tack away. At the next meeting, the Kiwi team carried on towards the port layline instead of covering Alinghi. This move enabled ETNZ to round the windward mark 14 seconds ahead. Alinghi followed the Kiwi yacht for a few minutes before gybing away. ETNZ responded with a loose cover and both yachts gradually sailed over to the righthand side of the course, where the breeze seemed a bit firmer. As they approached the leeward ‘gate’, EMTZ gybed inside Alinghi and sailed for the lefthand mark. Alinghi chose to round the more-difficult righthand mark rather than following their opponents. When EMTZ tacked to cover, it was clear that Alinghi had made a gain. Two more tacks followed, with Alinghi making small gains each time. The two yachts had appeared quite even, with no sign of Alinghi’s supposed ability to point higher. And yet………….. towards the end of the second windward leg, Alinghi appeared to have an edge which could not be explained by slightly better breeze. The Kiwis were still ahead but, when they tacked to cover, they could no longer cross Alinghi’s bow. ETNZ tacked to leeward but too far from the Swiss yacht to force them to tack away. As the two yachts approached the windward mark, Alinghi managed to nose ahead and they were able to lay the mark with one final tack, putting them 16 seconds ahead of Emirates Team NZ. The Kiwis were not content to follow the Swiss yacht downwind and initiated a gybing duel which brought them up to the stern of Alinghi two-thirds of the way down to the finish. With no prospect of overtaking close to Alinghi, Emirates Team NZ gybed once more out to the right. When they came back this time, they had lost ground and Alinghi sailed on to finish 28 seconds ahead.

The Swiss team now lead the series 4 : 2, needing one more win to retain the America’s Cup. Emirates Team NZ need 3 straight wins to achieve their dream.

Dean Barker, when asked about the team’s optimism before Race 7 said:”I have complete confidence in the guys and our entire team and I do firmly believe we can get ourselves back into it.”

Race 7 starts at 1500 on Sunday 1 July. Grant Dalton, tireless director of the Kiwi campaign is 50 today. Let’s hope that the crew of Emirates Team New Zealand can give him a birthday present to remember!

RACE 7 -SUNDAY 01 JULY
Port America's Cup was packed with supporters from both sides today watch Emirates Team New Zealand fight to stay in the match. Unfortunately for everyone the winds over the sea in Valencia were too light to allow any racing to take place. High cloud started to form around midday, slowing the development of a sea breeze. Whenever a clear patch opened up over the land, the wind would pick up, only to ease when the cloud returned., Peter Reggio Principal Race Officer finally signalled there would be no racing for the day at 16:10.

Monday is a scheduled 'off day' at the America's Cup, so the next race won't be until Tuesday afternoon, when the forecast is looking good for a strong, steady, 15 knot sea breeze. - TVB

BACK TO TOP

RACE 7 – TUESDAY 3 JULY

In what turned out to be the most thrilling finish in the history of the event, Alinghi won the last race and the America’s Cup by just one second from Emirates Team New Zealand.

The race began in perfect Valencian sailing conditions, with sunshine and a boisterous 14 – 16 knot breeze. Dean Barker on Emirates Team NZ entered from the starboard end of the line to meet Ed Baird, steering Alinghi, and the two yachts immediately began duelling. The Kiwis seemed happy to sacrifice their starboard position and started even with Alinghi, heading out to the left. After a few minutes racing, ETNZ forced Alinghi to tack off towards the right. ETNZ followed and a tacking duel commenced, with the Kiwis slightly ahead but never quite able to cross in front of the Swiss yacht. Alinghi carried ETNZ past the layline so that, when they tacked, the New Zealand yacht was forced to follow in the wake, rounding the windward mark 7 seconds behind. Both yachts concentrated on speed down to the leeward mark. The few gybes that were made seemed better-handled by the New Zealand team and, when Alinghi’s spinnaker collapsed briefly, ETNZ moved ahead and into control as they approached the ‘gate’. In a bizarre repetition of Race 6, ETNZ opted to go for the safer left-hand gate mark, allowing Alinghi to demonstrate their sail-handling skills with a spinnaker take-down and gybe into the righthand gate mark. This sequence Alinghi performed admirably (see photos) and the Swiss Team surged out to the favoured right. Although ETNZ tack immediately to cover, there was already 400m of separation. Alinghi was first to benefit from a slight shift and tacked immediately, closing the gap noticeably. Another tacking duel followed the same pattern as before, with Alinghi gaining slightly each time the two yachts came together. In the final quarter of the leg, ETNZ called off the duel and headed out towards the port layline, hoping for a favourable shift. The shift never came and, in a desperate attempt to regain control, the Kiwis tacked onto to port and bore away, hoping to round the stern of Alinghi. Alinghi forestalled the move by bearing away at the same moment and the umpires decided the New Zealanders were too close and gave them a penalty. Alinghi rounded the windward mark 12 seconds ahead of ETNZ and immediately began to pull away from the bemused Kiwi team. Soon, the Swiss yacht had built a five boatlength lead and it really looked to be all over when, suddenly, Alinghi’s spinnaker began to collapse and she slowed noticeably as the breeze moved round and died. Meanwhile ETNZ, spinnaker still pulling firmly, stayed to the left of Alinghi’s course and began to overtake the Swiss yacht. As the wind moved ahead, the Kiwi crew quickly raised their genoa and dropped the spinnaker, heading ever closer to the finish in the dying breeze. But wait….what about that penalty? This involved a 270 degree turn to clear the earlier infringement and so, just metres from the finish and with Alinghi struggling to build speed behind them, the Kiwis tacked, bore away and then tacked again. By now they were moving through the water even slower than Alinghi but still just ahead with no more than 10 meters to go. Gradually they built their speed and the two yachts crossed the line together, with Alinghi just in the lead to win the race and the America’s Cup by one second! For a moment, the Swiss team could not believe they had finally won. Then, as confirmation came, they erupted spontaneously and were jumping and hugging one another as the support boat came in to pick up the two line.

After the race, Ernesto Bertarelli, president of Alinghi and a member of the winning crew said: “It’s been a real lesson in life; one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and today, besides the birth of my kids, is probably the best day of my life.” Grant Dalton, head of Emirates Team NZ said “The guys have done an amazing job, and right now aren’t feeling that sharp – it’s been a long four years. I am of course enormously proud of them but Alinghi did a better job than us.” There will be further comments on these events over the next few days but just for now, we salute Team Alinghi and their worthy opponents Emirates Team New Zealand.

MORE VLC WEATHER HERE

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