Alinghi 1, Emirates Team New Zealand 2

www.alinghi.com

Alinghi 1, Emirates Team New Zealand 2

2007-06-26

After a nail-biting race, Alinghi, having snatched back the lead in Race 3 of the 32nd America’s Cup Match, lost it in the last few minutes to Emirates Team New Zealand by 25 seconds in increasingly fluky conditions. The race, in which the lead changed hands six times, was sailed in a 7-9 knot east/southeasterly and a lumpy sea. The race committee decision to race came as close to the 17:00 deadline as allowed. Juan Vila, navigator, comments: “We were ready for it. From our side we didn’t see the conditions improving, but that is their call and we have to go with what they decide.”

Alinghi held the lead off the start line, lost it on the first leg in a wind shift, won it back on the second upwind leg, and then watched as ETNZ passed them in another shift a few minutes before the finish. Juan Vila describes a very tricky day: “The conditions were difficult for both teams. These fluky, light conditions make the outcome more random. We were behind at the beginning, got luck on our side and came back and then ended up behind, so it was a disappointment for us.”

The start of Race 3 was postponed for two hours before Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio felt the wind conditions were stable. Alinghi got the better start, crossing the line 8 seconds ahead and at full speed while the Kiwi team was slow in the water. ETNZ, however, had the right side of the racecourse and about 3 minutes after the start tacked to starboard and into a lift. ETNZ won the first cross with Alinghi by four boat lengths and extended out to the right to round ahead by1:23 minutes.

Alinghi closed the gap to 1:02 at the leeward gate and clawed the Kiwis back upwind to snatch the lead back and round ahead by 15-seconds. Downwind in increasingly light breeze, Alinghi continued to lead until about halfway down the leg, when the Swiss team seemed to sail into lighter pressure which allowed ETNZ to squeeze out a 25 second win.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s race, Juan Vila says: “We will take one race at a time and just keep the concentration up and look for our opportunities and sail the way we know we can and that should do it.”

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