America's Cup The Final Countdown

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.