A week on from the first race in this extraordinary saga and no one would care
to claim a glimpse of a decisive moment. But, after their third successive
defeat in Valencia yesterday, the New Zealanders now face a stark statistic.
At 4-2 down, the challengers have to win three straight races against the
defenders, Alinghi, to take the Cup back to its modern spiritual home in
Auckland.
Their one ray of hope will be gleaned from Australia II, who, in 1983, came
from 3-1 down to overpower Dennis Conner’s Liberty and take the Cup abroad
for the first time.
The events of the week, which have included one of the greatest races in the
history of sport’s oldest trophy, a series of tactical and sail-handling
errors from two well-drilled crews and, in race five, an untimely gear
failure on Emirates Team New Zealand, would preclude taking anything for
granted. Yet there was an acceptance in defeat yesterday that spoke much for
the Kiwis’ increasingly desperate state of mind.
”This is tough,” said Dean Barker, helmsman of Team New Zealand.
“We thought we sailed a pretty nice race today, but things aren’t going our
way. Alinghi are sailing just a bit better than us at the moment.”
The Kiwis have made this series, coming back from an opening defeat and
refusing to be beaten into submission by a reputedly quicker boat or by some
uncharacteristic blunders on the water and by the split sail that cost them
the race on Friday. They gave everything again yesterday, in race six,
leading round the first two marks and only forfeiting their precious lead on
the second upwind leg when Alinghi benefited from a favoured breeze on the
right side of the course.
Yet, credit too should go to the defenders. After the epic third race, there
was every sign that Brad Butterworth’s crew was heading into psychological
territory only recently vacated by Chris Dickson and BMW-Ora-cle. Opinion
was divided in the build-up to the 32nd America’s Cup match whether the
Swiss defenders were in control or verging on complacency.
Either way, they seemed very cool, refusing to acknowledge that a lack of
match practice might affect their tactical sharpness or the slickness of
their crewwork.
Their apparent authority in the opening race of the series only heightened
their confidence, disguising the slender gap in pace between the two boats
and the raggedness of their teamwork. New Zealand were quick to expose any
vulnerability in the Alinghi psyche and have spent a long week probing and
pushing for every advantage. It has been proper match-racing, tight
hand-to-hand combat with neither crew asking or giving any quarter and it
has made rivetting viewing for the massive spectator fleet here in Valencia.
Overall, Barker, the helmsman of Emirates Team NZ, has prevailed at the start
over Ed Baird, the American chosen to helm Alinghi. Barker’s standing has
risen with every phase of this regatta until, along with the Dane, Jes
Gram-Hansen, the specialist starter for Mascalzone Lat-ino, and the
Australian James Spithill of Luna Rossa, he has now graduated into the elite
of match-racing helmsmen. With no Russell Coutts, this series has mapped out
a new generation of world class match-racers, men who will dominate the
future of the America’s Cup. Barker, heavily criticised earlier in the round
robin series, has developed into a solid competitor and shrewd helmsman.
Baird, though, was able to hold him off in the prestart, which featured a
lengthy bout of eyeballing as Barker tried to out-manouvre the defenders and
usurp their position on the right side, the Committee Boat end of the line.
After a series of choppy seas and deceptively light winds in recent races,
the Mediterranean produced almost perfect conditions for an America’s Cup
match race, winds of eight to 10 knots and relatively flat seas.
In its way, it was a straightforward race, with only two changes of lead and,
in the end, a comfortable winner.
Alinghi won the start but the New Zealanders, who seemed eager to contest the
right side, actually profited from being on the left all the way through a
lengthy starboard tack towards the lay line on the left side of the course.
The New Zealanders managed to squeeze up on Alinghi, who were forced to tack
away, forfeiting their narrow lead and trailing New Zealand by 14 seconds at
the top mark.
That, in earlier races in this regatta, would have been that.
Rarely did boats behind at the first mark overhaul their rivals to win, but,
in this Cup match, that was merely the movement of the first pawn. Yet New
Zealand held their lead all the way down the second leg, barely stretching
it but never looking as though they would lose it either. The gap at the
second mark was 11 seconds. Alinghi, though, had one further trick up their
sleeve, rounding the left mark – as opposed to the New Zealanders who took
the right – and gambling that the wind might give them the break they were
denied in race three.
This time, the decision paid strong, possibly Cup-winning, dividends. Within
two tacks, Alinghi had swept through into a lead they never lost. An
11-second deficit became a 16-second lead, which New Zealand chipped away at
through the final leg to no avail. Alinghi won by 28 seconds.
Typically, Butterworth would not be drawn into any trium-phalism over his
team’s three successive victories. One more today and the Cup will return to
Switzerland and, quite possibly, to the city of Valencia. “It’s nice to win
three in a row, but shows how hard these things are to win,” said the
Alinghi skipper.
“This has been the best final for a long time because the Acts have brought
the boats together and everyone can now see if the defender has any
advantage, so there’s been a levelling out.”
After their psychological blip in midweek, Alinghi are back in control. The
New Zealanders now have to find a touch of inspiration to get back in the
match. The bewildering aspect of the series, expressed by Barker yesterday,
is that they have been in control of several races and not closed them out.
They know they should be ahead and yet time is now running out. “While
there’s a chance, we’re still a very dangerous team,” said Barker. For once,
it sounded like a forlorn cry.
Classic contests: the races of high drama in the 32nd America’s Cup
RACE 1 Dean Barker, skippering the Kiwi boat, makes the better start
but Alinghi are soon into their stride in choppy conditions, leading by
13sec at the fi rst mark. Attacking gybes by New Zealand on the
downwind leg were to no avail and Alinghi held its advantage to the end
Alinghi 1 Emirates Team New Zealand 0
RACE 2 Barker again makes the better start in the New Zealand boat but
again surrenders his lead to Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird. At the top mark the
Swiss led by 19sec but the Kiwis gained on the downwind leg and forced their
opponents wide up the beat.
They led at the top mark by 15sec and extended their lead to register an
important psychological blow Alinghi 1 Emirates Team New Zealand 1
RACE 3 A race full of drama that deserves to be ranked among the
greatest in America’s Cup history with the Kiwis emerging victorious Alinghi
1 Emirates Team New Zealand 2
