The 32nd America's Cup Match starts on Saturday

The 32nd America's Cup Match starts on Saturday

Valencia, 22 June, 2007 - Alinghi, the Swiss team built by Ernesto Bertarelli, will start its defence of the America's Cup on Saturday afternoon. Alinghi faces the Challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the America's Cup Matchby Louis Vuitton on the waters off Valencia, Spain. Racing is scheduled to start with a warning signal at 14:50 local time. The forecast is for sea breeze conditions with winds in the range of 12 to 15 knots.

On Friday, the Swiss Defender of the Cup revealed its sailing team. The helmsman will be the American sailor Ed Baird, who has been tasked with steering SUI 100 to victory. He'll be up against a motivated Challenger in Emirates Team New Zealand. The Kiwis, skippered by Dean Barker, were humbled by Alinghi in 2003, when Bertarelli's team swept the America's Cup Match, bringing the competition for the Auld Mug to Europe for the first time.

"I am very excited about being on the water tomorrow and going for the first race. It's been four years of waiting and a lot of hard work," Bertarelli said at the opening press conference. "Everyone in Alinghi is very competitive; the 23rd is a date we have had in our calendar for a while and the closer we get to the date the more excited people get in terms of wanting to compete and do actually what they enjoy doing."

On Friday, Emirates Team New Zealand won the coin toss, and the Kiwis will have the favoured starboard tack entry into the start box for the first race. The teams will alternate thereafter.

"We're just looking forward to getting into the racing," said Dean Barker, the skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. "We have worked very hard over the last couple of years just to get this opportunity. Now we are here we just want to get out there and do the absolute best we can. The unique thing about the America's Cup is that you don't know until probably a few races into to it how it's going to play out."

On Saturday morning, as the teams leave Port America's Cup for the race course, there will be fireworks and acrobatic air displays beginning with pyrotechnical sound effects at 12:30. The Spanish Patrulla Águila will salute Emirates Team New Zealand when it leaves its base just before 13:00, while the Patrouoille Suisse will do the same for Alinghi a few minutes later.

The America's Cup Match is a 'first to five' series. Each race victory is worth one point. The first team to reach five points wins the America's Cup.

32nd America's Cup Match by Louis Vuitton
(The first team to win five points wins the America's Cup)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
Alinghi 0 0
Emirates Team New Zealand 0 0

______________
ends

© Scoop Media