AmericaOne on Top - Prada Blitzs Spanish - French Win Stars & Stripes Loses - Abracadabra Wins Young Australia Trails: Here is the Americas Cup challenger series latest race report.
While racing on the Pacific Course was postponed for nearly three hours, the Atlantic Course matches were sailed after
only a short delay. The big match of the day was a battle for first place in the Louis Vuitton Cup between Idaten and
AmericaOne, and after a good pre-start battle, it appeared as though a close match was on the cards. But Paul Cayard
gained by finding the right windshift, and better pressure on the first beat, and opened up a massive lead. It was a
similar story in the other match as Le Défi earned an important win over Stars & Stripes, the orange boat showing good speed in the light winds, and the French afterguard capitalising on the shifts.
On the Pacific Course, the races were sailed in a stronger breeze, albeit after a three-hour delay. Luna Rossa broke a
two-race losing streak by showing significantly superior boat speed and better form picking the first big shift to beat
Bravo España. The loss is a tough one for the Spanish. Abracadabra won over Young Australia. The Hawaiians are still
alive in their hunt to stay in the game after Round Robin Three.
LOUIS VUITTON CUP ROUND ROBIN THREE RACE 6
AMERICAONE BEAT IDATEN - DELTA 09:08
AmericaOne (USA-49), skipper Paul Cayard appeared to come out second best in a vigorous starting line engagement with
Idaten (JPN-52), skippered by Peter Gilmour, but not for long. The Japanese boat grabbed the right side of the line,
starting on port tack five seconds ahead of the Americans and sailing into a right hand shift that provided it a brief
lead.
But it was Cayard who headed out on starboard, sailing into more pressure and a right hand shift to take control of a
difficult windward leg in light air. AmericaOne, on port tack, crossed its opponent by one boatlength on their first
crossing and enjoyed a slightly bigger lead on the second meeting. From there, Cayard's narrower boat romped in the
light breezes and flat water, rounding the first mark one minute 19 seconds ahead. On the first run Gilmour split away
to the West and oblivion, sagging into light patchy airs and rounding the second mark nearly 12 minutes off the pace.
The Japanese boat gained some ground as the wind slowly built but this race belonged to the Americans.
LE DÉFI BEAT STARS & STRIPES - DELTA 04:03
Bertrand Pacé sailing Le Défi (USA-46) used his starboard tack advantage to get control of the left of the pair and have
the leeward position at the start. Ken Read sailing Stars & Stripes (USA-55) had the weather position but soon found that the orange-coloured French boat had better height and was
bounced off to the right. The pair exchanged the advantage several times up the first weather leg, before Le Défi
finally took firm control to round ahead with a one minute 24 second lead at the top mark. The wind stayed extremely
light but relatively steady on the downwind leg and the French boat, with a better looking asymmetric spinnaker, pulled
big distances out of the American boat. When the wind started to fill in again the race became a textbook covering
exercise which Pacé and his team fulfilled correctly.
AMERICA TRUE WON, BE HAPPY DID NOT START
America True sailed the Atlantic Course alone, be hAPpy has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.
LUNA ROSSA BEAT BRAVO ESPAÑA - DELTA 05:29
Luis Doreste on Bravo España (ESP-56) did a nice job at the start, turning up to the line, and starting with speed to
weather of Francesco de Angelis on Luna Rossa (ITA-48). In the pre-start, Doreste engaged de Angelis in a dial-up before
chasing him downwind of the line. Luna Rossa gybed away to return to the line first, but Bravo España tacked and led the
way back to the line, both boats early. But Luna Rossa was too far to leeward to push Spain up to the line, and Doreste
led across the line by one second. But the first shift was to the left, favouring the Italians, and on a light air day,
Luna Rossa just showed too much speed for the Spanish. Francesco de Angelis carried a one minute, 46 second lead around
the first top mark and increased the delta to win easily by over five minutes.
ABRACADABRA BEAT YOUNG AUSTRALIA - DELTA 01:21
Abracadabra (USA-50) started on port tack with Young Australia (AUS-31)starting on starboard. Australian skipper James
Spithill wanted the left side of the start and won it. Young Australia also won the first cross and successfully
defended its small lead until the top third of the beat. While both boats were sailing on starboard tack John Kolius on
Abracadabra took over the lead with a bit more pressure to the right and thus lifting. After tacking back to port
Spithill could not cross ahead. From then on, Abracadabra slowly pulled away to win this match.
Article provided by Louis Vuitton Cup Media Centre