FLIGHT 6

Deux séries par jour et deux matchs par rond... les Class America ont sillonné la baie d’Hauraki

Photo : Franck Socha

• Match 1 Wight Lightning GBR 70 wins against Mascalzone Latino ITA 72 (1’ 40")

At the prestart, Harrison’s men entered from the right hand side of the box and immediately followed ITA 72 into a dial-down. After around 40 seconds of sailing straight downwind, Mascalzone Latino sailed around the bow of Wight Lightning and headed to the right hand side of the course.

As the Italian team gybed around, GBR 70 tacked and headed back to the starting line with ITA 72 a boat length behind. Starting helmsman Andy Beadsworth then bore away, to position Wight Lightning ahead but to leeward of ITA 72 as the teams sailed towards the line. The British boat accelerated to cross the line one second ahead, whilst Mascalzone Latino tacked off to the right.

After one minute, ITA 72 tacked, followed by GBR 70 and at the crucial first cross GBR Challenge was over a boat length ahead. With Ian Walker at the helm, Wight Lightning continued for 15 seconds before tacking to cover ITA 72. Both boats sailed on starboard tack for 10 minutes, but when the Italians tacked the British team reacted and continued to cover up the first beat. At the first windward mark, GBR Challenge led by 24 seconds.

The wind momentarily dropped during the downwind leg, before increasing in strength to 22 knots as the teams rounded the leeward mark. GBR Challenge had extended by four seconds to lead by 28 seconds.

On the second beat, Mascalzone Latino were much more aggressive, engaging GBR Challenge in a tacking duel up the middle of the course. Harrison’s men continued to tack on top and cover the Italian team, continually forcing ITA 72 to sail in their wind. The British team extended their lead and went on to take their second point of the round robin.

Source GBR Challenge

• Match 2 Luna Rossa ITA 74 wins against Orm SWE 73 (10")

Ideal conditions today on the Hauraki Gulf. The wind is around 10-15 knotsand the Race Committee is able to start the matches of flight 6 in perfect time.

Luna Rossa, with Rod Davis at the helm, starts at 10:50 about mid-line, while Victory chooses the pin end on the left. The boats are sailing pretty much even at the beginning of their first beat. Luna Rossa takes the lead in the early part of the first windward leg and, after a series of close tacks at the top end of the field, rounds the first mark with a 22 seconds advantage.

At the beginning of the first run the two boats sail together with Luna Rossa leading. Then Orm gybes away and heads for the left, while ITA 74 keeps to the right. Victory takes advantage of a wind shift, closes the gap and takes the lead. The two boats reach the bottom mark close together and Orm takes the inside lane leading Luna Rossa by 8 seconds.

The second beat sees a close duel between Luna Rossa and Victory. At the last windward mark, Victory rounds with a couple boat lenghts of advantage over Luna Rossa. The wind is going lighter and Luna Rossa hoists a gennaker while Victory opts for a spinnaker. The race is still very much open.

During the last run downwind Francesco de Angelis attacks from behind with an intense gybing duel and is able to close the gap and take the lead. Luna Rossa wins the race over the Swedes by 10 seconds.

Source Prada Luna Rossa

• Match 3 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 wins against OneWorld USA 67 (40")

USA 76 - USA 67

Photo : Franck Socha

In this morning’s race OneWorld gave it up to Oracle BMW Racing by 40 seconds after an exciting duel, which included a penalty against Oracle for colliding with the OneWorld boat during the starting sequence allowing them to pin USA 67 against the committee boat and block USA 67 out at the line. OneWorld stayed with Oracle gaining slightly in the second leg and held their position until the last mark when Oracle took good advantage of the wind shifts and gained enough distance to take their penalty turn and cross the line first.

Source OneWorld Challenge

• Match 4 Stars & Stripes USA 66 wins against Le Defi FRA 69 (1’ 12")

Stars & Stripes powered steadily away from the French America‚s Cup challenger Le Défi to win a morning race today on the Hauraki Gulf, only to suffer the same fate at the hands of the Swiss Alinghi entry in the afternoon.

The changeable Auckland spring weather cooperated for the first time in the Second Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series for the America‚s Cup, bringing a fine sailing day with southwesterly winds at 12 to 15 knots in the morning and 18 to 25 knots for the afternoon competition.

The New York Yacht Club‚s challenger Stars & Stripes, steered by skipper Ken Read, led Le Défi across the starting line by six seconds. French skipper Luc Pillot, stayed in close contact for the first beat and continued attacking on the first run but Stars & Stripes pulled away to finish with a one minute, 12 second margin.

Source Team Dennis Conner

FLIGHT 7

L’équipage d’Alinghi sous la direction de Russell Coutts

Photo : Franck Socha

• Match 1 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 against Le Defi FRA 69 (match postponed due to technical failure on Le defi)

Due to a failure in the hydraulic sustem of the yellow Class America, the Race Comitee accepted Luc Pillot’s demand to postpone the race. Thematch will take place on Saturday.

• Match 2 Alinghi SUI 64 wins against Stars & Stripes USA 66 (49")

The starting sequence for the afternoon race saw Read engage in a drawn out luffing match on the start line with Swiss challenge helmsman Russell Coutts, the last winner of the America’s Cup America's Cup #AmericasCup , now sailing for the Société Nautique de Genève.

The Swiss boat broke away first, and converted a ten second advantage on the start line to a 31 second lead at the weather mark, as winds on the Hauraki Gulf gusted up to 25 knots. Stars & Stripes held onto Alinghi on the run, losing only two seconds but lost more ground on the next beat. The delta at the finish of the four-leg 12.5-mile course was 49 seconds.

Source Team Dennis Conner

• Match 3 Luna Rossa ITA 74 wins against Wight Lightning GBR 70 (16")

In the afternoon Luna Rossa races against the British. The Race Committee fires the start gun at 13:45 in ideal weather conditions, with 15 knots of wind. A few seconds before the start Rod Davis, at the helm of ITA 74, forces GBR to tack to the right. ITA 74 heads at full speed toward the pin end.

During the first beat GBR defends the right. Halfway through the leg the two boats battle with an intense and close tacking duel and GBR gets the inside lane. Luna Rossa trails by 4 seconds at the first mark. An extremely exciting spinnaker run follows, with Luna Rossa sailing less than a metre behind GBR. Francesco de Angelis tries to get the overlap over the British, pushing them further and further towards the left lay line and trying to gain the inside lane for the next mark. The crew on Luna Rossa sails very aggressively and gains the lead. The boats reach the mark only a few meters apart and ITA 74 is ahead by 9 seconds at the rounding.

The wind picks up to 20-22 knots. Luna Rossa consolidates her lead in the second beat and rounds the last mark with a 14 second advantage over GBR Challenge. The boats are now sailing to the finish under spinnaker. Francesco de Angelis defends his lead controlling every move of his opponent. A victorious Luna Rossa crosses the finish line ahead of the GBR Challenge team by 16 seconds in an exciting match that saw very close racing and some heartstopping moments near the marks.

 Francesco de Angelis - Luna Rossa : "We sailed two tough races today in quite shifty wind conditions. In both matches there have been changes in the lead that left the outcome of the races open right until the very end. A simple mistake would have easily compromised our final result. I am very satisfied with the way the boat went and how the crew performed, I wish to congratulate all the team. We still have two races to go before the end of Round Robin Two. We will facetwo very fast and strong teams. They will certainly be interesting matches that will give us the opportunity, once again, to assess our level of preparation, both from a technical point of view and in terms of crew performance".

Source Prada Luna Rossa

• Match 4 OneWorld USA 67 wins against Orm SWE 73 (21")

OneWorld narrowly won the start and got the favored starboard side of the course. OneWorld was able to maintain cover of Victory up the first leg, rounding 14 seconds ahead at the mark. After the first downwind leg Victory closed the gap to nine seconds. OneWorld then extended the lead and avoided a tacking duel. As the boats split, OneWorld chose to stay right and left Victory uncovered. The decision proved to be a good tactic and USA 67 was lifted and lengthened its lead at the top mark to 24 seconds. OneWorld was successful in covering Sweden through a succession of gybes and crossed the finish line 21 seconds ahead to win.

Source OneWorld Challenge