Alinghi were beaten by TEAMORIGIN on Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Image copyright Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN.
by Louis Vuitton Pacific Series media
Race 1: Damiani Italia Challenge beat Pataugas by K-Challenge - 45s
Damiani Italia Challenge and France's Pataugas by K-Challenge each started looking for a second point to add to their initial scores of one. After an early skirmish, both boats started at speed in the middle of the line. The Italians were in a safe leeward berth, which they converted to an early lead, forcing their opponents away after only a few minutes. The weather leg was close with the French initially bouncing the Italian boat out beyond the port tack layline but trailing around the weather mark by 50 metres. On the run the French attacked again, working out to windward of the Italians on the run and overtaking, only to be penalized for failing to respond to a luff from Italian helmsman Francesco Bruni. The French margin was only two seconds at the leeward mark but they followed in the Italian wake for the remainder of the race.
Deltas
Mark 1 - 0:10 Damiani
Mark 2 - 0:01 Damiani
Mark 3 - 0:19 Damiani
Finish - 0:45 Damiani
Race 2: TEAMORIGIN beat Alinghi - 36s
Gold medal ace Ben Ainslie pulled off a classic textbook start against top seed Alinghi to give TEAMORIGIN the biggest scalp in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series round robin so far. With 15s to go both boats approached the startline on port tack and Alinghi, with Ed Baird at the helm, looked to be in control.
But British helmsman Ainslie, the Olympic Finn class champion, made an aggressive final move, luffing and forcing Alinghi over the startline a second too early. While the Swiss team immediately turned back to re-cross the line next to the committee boat, TEAMORIGIN had powered out to a six-boatlength lead.
The British boat extended its lead to just over a minute at the top mark, but in the chase downwind, Alinghi got a breeze from behind and almost halved the deficit at the bottom gate. Unperturbed, Ainslie's crew sailed a smart, straightforward race until the finish to win by 36s and reinforce their reputation as one of the teams to watch.
Deltas
Mark 1 - 1:03 TEAMORIGIN
Mark 2 - 0:41 TEAMORIGIN
Mark 3 - 0:36 TEAMORIGIN
Finish - 0:36 TEAMORIGIN
Race 3: BMW ORACLE Racing beat China Team - 1:28s
BMW ORACLE Racing leads China Team downwind against the backdrop of Auckland. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/BMW ORACLE Racing.
Despite good intentions, it was not China Team's day on the Waitemata Harbour, confronted by the experience and guile of BMW ORACLE Racing. With Russell Coutts at the helm, BMW ORACLE Racing was in complete control from the moment the boats entered the start box and China Team, steered by Ian Williams, copped a penalty a minute before the startgun for gybing too close to the USA boat.
BMW ORACLE Racing and China Team against the wind. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/BMW ORACLE Racing.
In a split-tack start, Coutts claimed the right side and played the 15-18 knot southwesterlies to perfection to lead by 24s round the first mark. Williams, the world match racing champion, closed the gap slightly downwind and managed to keep in touch on the third leg. But halfway down the final run home, China Team's gennaker blew out and, after completing its penalty turn, it crossed the line 1m 28s in arrears.
Deltas
Mark 1 - 0:24 BMW ORACLE Racing
Mark 2 - 0:16 BMW ORACLE Racing
Mark 3 - 0:18 BMW ORACLE Racing
Finish - 1:28 BMW ORACLE Racing
BMW ORACLE Racing and China Team downwind. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/BMW ORACLE Racing.
Race 4 - Team Shosholoza vs. Luna Rossa: Postponed
Just before 1500 hours, with the wind at 24 knots and increasing, the Race Committee announced it was abandoning further competition today. The remaining race, between the South African Team Shosholoza and the Italian team Luna Rossa, will be sailed tomorrow.
Earlier the fourth race was delayed, following damage to the headfoil on NZL92, the ETNZ boat that Shosholoza was scheduled to sail. The South African team was unable to raise the jib and the boat returned post haste to the Race Village where shore crew were waiting to remove the headstay and foil for repair. Work on installing a replacement foil began immediately and was expected to take an hour or two.
The Shosholoza crew boarded a chase boat to return to the course with the possibility of sialing their delayed match against the Italian team Luna Rossa aboard the BMW ORACLE Racing boats. However, NZL92 was under tow to the race course by 1430 hours local time, giving the Race Committee the option to start the final race in either pair of boats. The weather was the wild card, with heavy breeze forecast.
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
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