| Alinghi
Wins the America's Cup
Sweeping Team New Zealand 5 - 0
Alinghi
won Race Five of the XXXIst America's Cup Match
in Auckland on Sunday and, for the first time in
its 152-year history, the America's Cup is going
to Europe.
Ernesto
Bertarelli's Swiss Alinghi Team swept away Team
New Zealand in five consecutive races, becoming
the first Challenger to win the America's Cup on
its initial attempt.
With
his 14th America's Cup win, Alinghi skipper Russell
Coutts broke Dennis Conner's record of 13 America's
Cup race victories, adding the five wins of 2003,
to the nine he earned with Team New Zealand in the
1995 and 2000 campaigns.
Coutts
has also now equalled the legendary Charlie Barr
and Harold Vanderbilt by winning three consecutive
America's Cups.
The
Hauraki Gulf delivered conditions America's Cup
aficionados had hoped for, and Sunday's race was
sailed in ideal weather, with a steady 12 to 15-knot
Northeasterly, blue sunny skies, and fair weather
cumulus clouds providing an idyllic backdrop for
the drama on the water.
As
they have throughout the 2002/2003 America's Cup
season, the Alinghi Team turned in a dominant performance,
winning the start, and converting that early advantage
into a solid lead that they protected ferociously.
Team
New Zealand tried everything they could to break
through, but the black boat continued to be plagued
by gear failure, this time breaking a spinnaker
pole on the second run. In the end, Alinghi was
too strong, and proved to be well deserving of the
most prestigious trophy in the sport.
The
America's Cup will be collected by Alinghi in the
Eastern Viaduct immediately as the boats return
to port. The Official Prizegiving and closing ceremony
will be at the American Express Viaduct Harbour
on Monday afternoon at 16:00.
The
Alinghi Team has announced it will hold a press
conference on Tuesday afternoon to reveal details
of the XXXIInd America's Cup.
XXXIST AMERICA'S CUP MATCH
Alinghi
(SUI-64) beat Team New Zealand (NZL-82) - Delta
00:45 Alinghi wins the best-of-nine series over
Team New Zealand, 5 - 0.
Another
consummate performance from beginning to end saw
Alinghi sweep to a 5-0 victory in America's Cup
XXXI. Once again, there was no dial up as the yachts
came into the starting box. Instead, they elected
to sail deep into the box and then line up for a
time-on-distance run to the line.
Once
again, skipper Russell Coutts and his afterguard
timed the run to perfection, hitting the line at
speed as the gun went. Alinghi were to windward,
with Team New Zealand tucked away slightly behind
and to leeward.
Both
yachts left the line on starboard tack and very
quickly Alinghi once again demonstrated its ability
to sail higher than Team New Zealand. Alinghi led
around the first windward mark by 21 seconds. Team
New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker, reduced the
deficit to 18 seconds and 16 seconds on the next
two mark roundings, but then Alinghi stretched away.
The
delta at the second leeward mark rounding was 31
seconds, building to 42 seconds at the final windward
mark and 44 seconds at the finish line. Once again,
Team New Zealand was plagued by gear failure, breaking
its spinnaker pole towards the end of the second
leeward leg.
The
crew jettisoned the broken pole for the chase boat
to later collect. With a spare pole on board, the
breakage did not cost the team significantly in
terms of time, but underlined the difference between
these two teams.
Alinghi
was flawless throughout the America's Cup Match,
while Team New Zealand suffered a succession of
breakdowns and had to abandon two of the five races. |
