Thanks Andy!

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This is a letter Peter Blake wrote to the Prada Team a few days after their defeat against Team New Zealand in the 2000 America’s Cup.

DEDICATED TO LUNA ROSSA
The America’s Cup is an elusive trophy, and has rarely changed hands in the last 150 years. This is not a sport for the faint hearted. It is not a quest to take lightly or on a whim. It is a fight between sailors from yacht clubs all over the world that desperately want the same thing: get their hands on the Cup.

The prestige for the winner has more value than any other sporting achievement. It’s winning against the invincible and doing the impossible that attract sailors, dreamers and millionaires, but the victory is not easy, and most of the time it doesn’t happen.

The only way to win is to continuously participate, continuously return time and time again with the conviction that you can do it. Hesitating after the first attempt is not part of the rules of the game.

You need extraordinary people with ferocious motivation, lots of experience and attention to details and unconditional dedication. The game is uncertain; for all you can dedicate, for all that you can motivate, and for all that you are willing to spend the victory is never guaranteed.

For some it becomes a kind of drug. It is a game that you can come to deeply hate, to then discover that you can’t live without it at least not until you win. Then there’s the metamorphous (at least that is what happened to me).

I was part of a crew that succeeded in winning the America’s Cup at least once and successfully defending it. I was finally free of the tightness in my mouth and in my stomach. I am paid. I am cured. I go to sleep at night and dream other dreams. New passion are being born inside of me.

Just so that it is clear, competing for the America’s Cup is a game of passion, of dreams when in every waking moment (and while you are asleep) you have only one unique thought and that is winning but the victory is uncertain until you have it in your hands.

The delusion and the disappointment hurts even when the others are suffering, imagine trying it out on your own hide. You keep asking yourself “how”? and “why”? For weeks until you find the determination to try again, to not repeat the same mistakes, to do it better than before, to be better that the rest of the world, to be the best and than the anxiety becomes dreams and passions all over again.

The thought of winning never ever abandons you but it is better to leave it on the side and concentrate on a new objective: to be the best in every phase of the new challenge. Nothing is left alone, not even the smallest detail. But this doesn’t happen just because you want it to.

You need a team of exceptional people who share the same dream and the same passion and are not scared even when odds are against them. It’s the difficulty of the challenge that puts the adrenalin in your veins that may have been weakened by the previous defeat. The America’s Cup is what it is because it is so difficult to win.

It is not a game for armchair admirals. It is not a game for a person who is not prepared to come back. It is not a game for the faint hearted. It is a game for those who are not scared of pitting themselves against the best that the world has to offer. It’s a game where winning is almost impossible, almost, but not impossible. And this is why it is worth fighting for. It is the difficulty that gives any challenge some sense. This is the essence of life itself.

To all the people in Team Prada who are telling their story in this book, I would like to say, I admire your sportsmanship, your tenacity and your enthusiasm for life. You have given all of us a really positive imagine of your country and your countrymen will be proud of you.

This time you didn’t win but certainly didn’t lose. You only lose when you don’t have the courage to return. Not winning is part of the learning process which leads you to success. Because it is also a question of luck.

It won’t be easy. The best things never are.

Peter Blake

I never expected them to beat Luna Rossa 5-0. I did think the Kiwis would win it, but perhaps 5-2 or 5-3.

It is a funny old game when a team gets on a roll. Certainly Team New Zealand were quicker. Maybe one or two degrees higher on the wind when they wanted to be, which is not a lot, but it gives you those little metre gains that can be used as a tactical tool.

NZL92 seemed to accelerate a bit better out of tacks than Luna Rossa, which we expected because the Luna Rossa boat had more wetted surface and therefore more drag because of its hull shape.

Downwind, Team New Zealand were always able to stretch. Those little things were all valuable.

If a team are sailing well and get some momentum it can be hard to break. But there is an element of luck, and it went Team New Zealand’s way in the final race. They produced almost a perfect regatta in the way they sailed and the way they set the boat up for the conditions.

Luna Rossa’s performance makes one wonder if they sailed their best matches in their semifinal against Oracle.

The conditions probably suited them more as there was a wee bit more wind. I think their window of being quick is quite narrow – flat water and pressed up in 14-15 knots.

It is the second time in seven years that Luna Rossa have been taken apart by the Kiwis.The first was in the 2000 regatta, when they were beaten by the same 5-0 margin.

There is almost an uncanny similarity between the two regattas. In both cases Team New Zealand got on top early, and the Italians could do little about it.

The package Team New Zealand has with NZL92 is strong. It is a forgiving boat over a range of conditions.

So far, they’ve produced a huge achievement. It is often thought that winning the America’s Cup is easier than winning the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Are Team New Zealand going to be fast enough? We don’t know.

I think they will be. If they are even, given the nature of the challenger series, you’d have to favour the Kiwis.

If Alinghi have something special on their boat – maybe something different with their keel – and they have a faster boat, it will be difficult for Team New Zealand.

©ACM 2007/Photo: Vicent Bosch

Well it was a bit of a wild old weather day in Valencia.

It started of wet and windy, turned to light and fickle for the race, then some thunder and lightning decided to make an appearance.

Thankfully by the time the sky was lighting up, Team New Zealand had already secured their fourth consecutive win over Luna Rossa.

The power of the weather calls is proving crucial in Valencia’s fickle conditions.

Team New Zealand’s weather team have pretty much nailed it in the four races.

The Luna Rossa guys have got parts of it wrong.

In todays race Luna Rossa wanted the right and got it and Team New Zealand wanted the left. Luna Rossa had the option and could have crossed over up the first beat but were happy on the right. On the second cross they took a safe leeward and the leftie came in and Team New Zealand powered into the lead.

The Kiwi boat is also a tad quicker so from there it is harder for a boat that is a bit slower to defend. You get the impression that even if the Kiwis were behind they could sail around in that condition.

Luna Rossa need the conditions change. They need more wind. There is meant to be a sea breeze tomorrow but the conditions are not expected to be radically different.

Some people from New Zealand have asked me why they are now seeing limited coverage of Martin and I on TVNZ’s coverage. We are both working for ACTV who are the host broadcaster for the LVC and AC and supply the world feed to TV rights holders. TVNZ are the New Zealand rights holders so they decide if they want to use our voices or those of  John Mcbeth and Peter Montgomery etc.

• There have been 127 races sailed to date in the Louis Vuitton Cup
• Maximum delta: 11.49 minutes China Team vs Victory Challenge (May 2)
• Minimum winning delta: 1 second Desafío Español 2007 defeat +39 Challenge (April 30)

1 818 740 visitors to Port America’s Cup for the 2007 season (since April 1)

• 1 700 hours broadcast in 2007 (up to April 30) in over 150 countries that receive images of the 32nd America’s Cup
• Audience of 928 million people in 2007 (up to April 30)
• up to 33 cameras are in use at any one time during racing
• over 540 people are on-site, employed by rights-holders
• over 130 ACTV production people
• 400 hours of production of live TV in 3 galleries

6 000 bottles of Moët & Chandon consumed in Port America’s Cup

But the most important number at the America’s Cup remains ‘one’.

There is one winner in each match and each series.

Only one team will win the Louis Vuitton Cup and go on to race Alinghi in the 32nd America’s Cup Match.

This is the America’s Cup and there is no second… anyone excited?

©ACM 2007/Photo:Guido Trombetta

“Go Deano,” they bellowed as the black boat eased its way down the canal out to the race course.

I know we harped on about yesterday, but the amount of support Team New Zealand have here in Valencia is really incredible.

The good thing about them is that they are both colourful and loud. There have even been new tee-shirts created which read valeNZia.

It must give the guys a huge boast sailing out.

Well, today’s race started off in an interesting manner.

Luna Rossa controlled the start with the starboard entry. The New Zealanders scrambled. They got what was left and they got the right.

Team New Zealand were actually bow back at the line but what was relevant was how quick they accelerated. As they crossed the line Team New Zealand were two knots slower.

Within a boat length and a half they were up to speed. That is either incredibly acceleration or as they came off the line they got pressure. It was probably a bit of both but it was pretty good acceleration off the line. They are down playing their speed but they were quick all day.

Three nil up, the Kiwis are in a good spot. It is going to be hard for Luna Rossa to come back. Their boat is a tad off the pace.

©ACM 2007/Photo:Carlo Borlenghi

Peter Lester struggled to fault Team New Zealand’s performance in race one yesterday. But the commentator and former America’s Cup sailor said if he wanted to be “really, really picky”, perhaps their gybing and mainsail selection would be something to discuss in their debrief.

Team New Zealand’s no-nonsense, low-risk strategy proved successful in the opening race of the challenger series, claiming a nail-biting eight-second win over Luna Rossa.

Lester said the Kiwis did everything right in the opening race.

“There was not a mistake. Both teams were pretty flawless but New Zealand were more flawless because they got the right side, which you could put down the weather team. Dean Barker put the boat where he wanted to have it,” said Lester.

“The only area I thought was still there was their gybes. They didn’t have any gybing problems but I sucked my breath in a little bit each time.”

On a few occasions in the round robins and semifinals, Team New Zealand were guilty of executing less than clinical gybes – when the boat changes direction downwind. One of their gybes also looked a bit ropy when they raced Alinghi this week.
“It may be something to do with the set up of the boat,” Lester said. “It is very narrow. The mechanics in the middle of the boat perhaps make it a little tricky.”

In yesterday’s match, Lester also wondered if Team New Zealand had selected a mainsail too heavy for the conditions, which started at 14 to 15 knots but dropped to 10 as the race progressed.

“They had code three main on, which is the heaviest air main. As the wind decreased through the race, they were probably caught out with the wrong mainsail on. The boat probably felt a little bit out of whack.”

Team New Zealand have made it clear their preference is to keep races to within a couple of boat lengths to keep control over their opponent. Big margins are more high risk and can lead to major gains and losses.

“The Kiwis played a low-risk, tough game,” Lester said.

“They got the little jump they needed, they capitalised on that and then from there on in, they seemed to be hell-bent on not letting Luna Rossa go anywhere. They had to give away a little bit of their lead to do that though.”

How race 1 unfolded

Prestart – Advantage Team New Zealand: 1s

While there was a lot of hype about the Dean Barker and James Spithill battle in the pre-start, race one proved to be low key.

In the four times the two sides have clashed over the last year, the team that has entered from the pin end has never won. Team New Zealand changed that yesterday.

Entering from the pin end and disadvantaged side, the Kiwis went for a shallow entry then headed into the dialup. Luna Rossa came out of the dialup relatively early which meant they were committed to one circle. They did a circle which gave the right to Team New Zealand. Luna Rossa wanted the left and gave the Kiwis the right. Team New Zealand crossed the line a second ahead of Luna Rossa on the right.

First beat – Advantage Team New Zealand: 12s

The defining moment was the first cross. After crossing the line both boats sailed on port for a long time. Team New Zealand picked their time to tack back to perfection. Luna Rossa had been going bow up, bow down – mode changing. Team New Zealand tacked back when Luna Rossa had gone bow down and were speed building.

The Kiwis got a bit of pressure and, when they met Team New Zealand, were bow forward. That was absolutely vital. Then they were able to track all the way to the top mark. They then got another little right hand shift near the top mark. There was nothing between the boats in terms of speed upwind.

First downwind leg – Advantage Team New Zealand: 9s

Downwind it was essentially even, although the trailing Luna Rossa did close the gap a bit.

It was interesting that Luna Rossa set up on the left hand side. Normally you set up on the right hand side to get the wind shadow. They wobbled round a bit then gybed away. It was then very difficult for them to get into a position to pass.

Second upwind leg – Advantage Team New Zealand: 11s

It was like the teams were connected by elastic. Team New Zealand would push ahead, Luna Rossa would reel them in. Team New Zealand tactician Terry Hutchinson has said his team prefers to keep their lead to within two boat lengths in order to keep a rein on their opponents.

That was illustrated today. If Team New Zealand are two lengths in the lead they look like they are comfortable. They look like they have really practised being in tight situations. They certainly play a tough, no-nonsense game.

Second downwind run – Team New Zealand win by 8s

Again Luna Rossa came back but Team New Zealand never looked like they were at risk. It was just close. Team New Zealand could have gone to the line but put in a last gybe.

The low-risk strategy is to stay in phase with the wind, which is what they were doing.

They are very easy to spot their Team New Zealand shirts, red socks and New Zealand flags give it away.

Team New Zealand are now 2-0 up over Luna Rossa and are in a very comfortable position. In today’s race NZL92 looked like it had a click of speed over Luna Rossa.

Again the New Zealanders sailed very well. The race was won in the prestart. Luna Rossa were slow over the line and then had to tack which allowed the Kiwis to sail out to a comfortable lead. From there it was game over.

Race three is tonight and then a lay day tomorrow.

Team New Zealand went one up on Luna Rossa today in the race one of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia.

The Kiwis played a low risk, tough game. They got the little jump they needed, they capitalised on that and then from there on in they seemed to be hell bent on not letting Luna Rossa go anywhere. They had to give away a little bit of their lead to do that though.

The America’s Cup Port was full of New Zealanders today sporting banners, red socks and kiwis. The whole Port was buzzing.

The spectator fleet was perhaps the largest seen so far and hundreds turned out to watch the match of the big screens.

The funny thing is today was Friday, a work day. One can only imagine what the weekend is going to be like.

If that happens, it then becomes a psychological battle as opposed to a physical one. If you are two-up in a best-of-nine race series you’re virtually halfway there.

Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa are pretty rock solid and have shown they can bounce back from losses. But to come back from 2-0 down would be tough. Momentum is hard to break.

It’s not impossible though.

A lot will depend on the reasons for the losses. If one team are dominant through better boat speed, it will be difficult but, if the losses are due to errors, then a team could still come back and win.

With all the talk about starts, one aspect that hasn’t really been discussed is the role of the bowman.

I have a lot of respect for Luna Rossa’s Kiwi bowman Allan Smith. I regard him as the benchmark bowman.

You look at roles on the boat, you look at the helmsman, the tactician and your trimmers.

But the bowman is so important when putting a team together. They are involved in so much. Not just starting but also lee-bow tacks, dips and mark roundings. If they get it wrong it can be a catastrophe. Looking at James Spithill’s starting, you must attribute some of that to Smith. But Team NZ’s Jeremy Lomas also looks good. You have almost got the old guard Smith verses the young rising star in Lomas. That will be quite intriguing.

There are two other areas that could make the difference in the final outside the boats and the crew.

One is the weather teams. We have now seen a high level of sophistication and tactical use of the information coming from the weather teams.

Luna Rossa are very good in that area, Team NZ are too, so it will be interesting.

The other one is the umpiring. The umpires will come under greater scrutiny. Throughout the challenger series, there have been some grumblings from the teams about some of the umpiring calls.

From the umpires, you are looking for consistency and correct calls and there have been a few mistakes so far.

Interestingly, the umpires are not from neutral countries.

When asked at the start of the challenger series whether there would be neutral umpires picked for the final, regatta director Dyer Jones said no, they’d put the best umpires available on the water.

There shouldn’t be umpires of the nationality of the teams in the final.

The problem is that some of the best umpires, like Oracle’s Russell Green and Team NZ’s Jack Lloyd are working for syndicates, reducing the pool of top cup umpires.

This will again cause a few ripples with the challengers especially Luna Rossa.

For Emirates Team New Zealand, it gives them a final chance to check in before taking on Luna Rossa in the Louis Vuitton Cup finals that start on Friday.

Dickson was out to lunch in his starts against the aggressive Australian helmsman and as a result his American team BMW Oracle Racing failed to lead Luna Rossa around one mark in their six-race series which the Italians won 5-1.

With Barker and Spithill you will see more typical match racing set moves.

Spithill will probably be quite aggressive, although he has become moderate in terms of his moves. But if there is a chance for a penalty he’ll go for it.

He doesn’t throw the boat around the start box, you don’t see big stern wash or huge manoeuvres. He has a smooth approach, much like Barker.

Barker is quite structured in the prestart. He also has the ability to trap his opponent. When Barker is in a dominant position in the prestart he is as aggressive as Spithill. He has had two penalties in the prestart during the regatta so will be wanting to take those out of his game.

It will be more of a classic match race between the two and will come down to which boat has their bow in front at the first cross.

Having your bow slightly ahead allows you to control the match by forcing your opponent to the layline on the upwind beats. Once at the layline, the trailing boat’s tactical options are minimal.

You might see refinements on the boats to optimise their manoeuvrability and acceleration to get a jump off the line to be ahead at the first cross.

There are only a handful of areas where you can pass. One is at the start, where you can dominate. The next is the top mark. The next is if you are close behind and if it is light, you can put a wind shadow on the leading boat. At the bottom mark gate the trailing boat also has an option.

Pre-empting the weather next week could be a big deal. As it get’s hotter, it could get lighter and the wind less dense. That means the boats are producing less power and that needs to be compensated for in the moding and tuning.

Team New Zealand should go into the final with plenty of confidence.

They were always dominant in their semifinal against the Spanish but were upset twice by what was a pretty quick boat.

Getting into the semifinals was Desafio Espanol’s goal. After that it was just a celebration and a good time. Tipping up Team New Zealand once was great, twice, wonderful.

In their last race the New Zealanders were in their element and they smoked them, which was a great way to go into the final.

The other semifinal, between Oracle and Luna Rossa, was a bit of a revelation. The fact Oracle didn’t win a start, and was never first at any mark in the whole series, is amazing. There were two things that set that up.

The race they lost against the China Team because of gear failure was huge. If they had won they would have been the top qualifier and wouldn’t have sailed against Luna Rossa.

The other turning point for Oracle was their loss to Team New Zealand in the final race of round two.

It is believed that created a lot of aggravation in the crew and words were said. They were absolutely hammered by Team New Zealand.

In that race it looked like Team New Zealand used new sails up the beat. They didn’t just rock the boat, they sank it. When it came to the semifinals the die was cast for Oracle to come apart.

Luna Rossa’s victory was a wonderful win, brilliantly sailed, but there is a question mark about the quality of the team they came up against.

The quality of Oracle by the second race was poor. What the semifinal will be remembered for is Dickson losing control and the team falling apart.

Sure today is a weekday but it is dead as a door nail. Hardly a person in sight.

The only two bases that had signs of life were Luna Rossa and Alinghi. Team New Zealand were taking a well deserved couple of days off. Luna Rossa went out sailing in the early afternoon and didn’t return until nearly 8pm!

The big news here today was that Chris Dickson has resigned from Oracle. No surprises there. One would assume he is heading back to the land of the long white cloud via Disneyland where he said he was going to take his family.

When Team New Zealand were out bashing their way around the course against the Spanish in their final semifinal race it is believed Alinghi broke something and were spotted quietly towing back in.

The Swiss have been talking themselves up a bit lately so if they did break something, no matter how little, then it is comforting to know that Team New Zealand raced out there and didn’t break at thing.

In NZ possum news check this out…

Minutes ago: 
Team Alinghi (defender) – 1.53
Luna Rossa Challenge – 4.60
Emirates Team New Zealand – 5.40

Racing resumes 1st June 2007

Update: the blog made it onto the Top Blogs list on WordPress for 22nd May! Number 48

Don’t you just love lay days.

After all the drama of yesterday which saw BMW Oracle Racing eliminated, Luna Rossa advance to the final, Desafaio Espanol beat Team New Zealand and Chris Dickson booted off his boat we definitely needed a day off. 

We both indulged in long, lazy Spanish lunches. For around $15 you get bread and salad, a main, a dessert and coffee. It is great but really makes you feel like a little siesta.

However no time for that…

While Dickson was the biggest story yesterday, it was great to see how excited Luna Rossa were at making the final. Competing in his third campaign Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis is really good to listen to. When he is asked a question, he pauses thinks about it and gives a meaningful answer. Luna Rossa are going along nicely.

It was also good to see Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker front up to the media again after his team lost. A few of their gybes were a little shabby in their last match so they’ll be looking to brush up on those.

The America’s Cup Port quiet was extremely quiet yesterday. It is hard to believe that a month or so ago there were 11 challengers now we are left with just three. By tonight we could be left with just two.

In other news TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s bid to enter the 33rd America’s Cup have announced their intention to purchase its first America’s Cup Class training boat – SUI 75 – the training and testing boat used by Alinghi. TEAMORIGIN plans to re-brand SUI 75 and it will later become GBR 75. It will be re-assembled and commissioned in Valencia and undergo a short test sail shortly after the end of the 32nd America’s Cup in July 2007.

As one reporter put it;

“Desafio Espanol are still in the America’s Cup and BMW Oracle Racing are out. I just can’t believe it.”

It is really a case of Luna Rossa getting on a roll, being the quiet achievers and the other team just collapsing. It wasn’t just a slip it was a complete and utter failure.

A lot of the blame for Oracle’s demise must fall on the shoulders of Chris Dickson as the syndicate’s chief executive and skipper. He has had all the say.

Money hasn’t been an issue, time hasn’t been an issue.

On the boat it just turned to custard. As one sailor said when Chris is calm and things are going well he is the best in the business. When the pressure comes on, he divides himself from the crew, he doesn’t trust anyone and turns into a club sailor in terms of his ability to win races.

This could be the end for Dickson. One would assume it would be really hard for Chris to get a meaningful role in the America’s Cup again.

What will happen to Oracle for the next America’s Cup will be interesting. What will be the structure, who will take the reins? You can’t help but think would this have looked different if someone like Paul Cayard had been running it.

Good on Luna Rossa. They have sailed brilliantly. If Team New Zealand get through, which we are sure they will, the scene is set for a brilliant battle.

Luna Rossa’s James Spithill had the starboard advantage, Chris Dickson port.

As Dickson has been doing he sailed really deep in the box to try and sail around his opponents bow to neutralise the advantage.

The dial-up was deep in the box to the left which meant Dickson more or less fell into a trap which Spithill took advantage off.

Dickson tried to wriggle out by gybing but got caught in a port starboard. To avoid the collision Spithill gybed on the inside which made him the windward boat.

The windward boat has to keep clear but Oracle put their stern into the Luna Rossa boat. Luna Rossa ended up in that position to avoid a collision. Even if that didn’t happen the windward boat has some protection under the rule that a right of way boat should give a boat keeping clear the opportunity to keep clear. Luna Rossa couldn’t keep clear. The result? Two penalities for Dickson.

The umpires got it spot on and that was the race. Luna Rossa extended on every leg.

Down 4-1 it is a long way back for the Larry Ellison-backed syndicate. The prognosis does not look good for Oracle in terms of strong leadership and turning it round from where they are. The body language does not look good.

As to whether they will make any crew changes? It is never a good idea in this situation.

In their match Team New Zealand looked like they wanted the right. They got a bit compressed so they trailed the Spanish over the line. The didn’t win the start but they won the side. If there was anything in it, it was slightly right and they were on the right.

What was impressive was when they went on that long starboard was how quickly the New Zeaand boat shut the Spanish down. NZL92 was off like a scalded cat. They are sailing the boat very well.

In those choppy, light conditions that black boat looks good.

Again the America’s Cup port and race course was busy with spectators today. It will be interesting tonight to see if Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand can take it out 5-1.

Those of us who are following this event certainly hope so. The idea of what will nearly be a two week break until the final is very, very appealing…

Although we have seen challenger series in the past where one team has been completely dominant and gone on to win the cup, like Team New Zealand in 1995, the harder the challenger series is, the better prepared the challenger will be.

Given the front end of this regatta was a disaster, with the wind conditions and the delays, now that we are in the semifinals the teams are getting some good, tough, competition.

There are two schools of thought on that, though. If you win your semifinal match easily, say 5-1 or 5-2, you do get the bonus of saving your equipment and people. You buy a bit of time, which is valuable at this stage.

If you have to fight it out right to the end you become race hardened, but at the same time it is tough on your equipment and your people.

In-house racing is not the same. The challenger series is real. Teams are trying things, altering their boats, briefing, debriefing while under pressure to perform.
Now that the conditions have settled in Valencia, it can be one-dimensional, where one side is heavily favoured.

Because there is little difference in boat speed between the top four teams, if you are behind it will be extremely difficult to get around someone getting first pick of the wind.

Therefore, starting well is going to be crucial.

Luna Rossa’s James Spithill is the best starter at the moment. If the conditions are very one-dimensional he is very dangerous.

Team New Zealand’s Dean Barker is probably next. He has been going well, aside from the hiccup against the Spanish in race three.

BMW Oracle Racing’s Chris Dickson, however, is in a bit of a trough when it comes to starting. But that can easily change.

The conditions will probably even up a bit. In June last year the conditions were a bit more mixed and not so one-sided.

Each time you have a subtle change in conditions the boats look different.

In Auckland the harsher conditions led to boats being more dominant. In Valencia the light winds and sea state tend to have an equalising effect.

You are going to have upsets in this venue, that is just the way it is.

Whichever challenger goes though to the America’s Cup match will be match hardened in starting, tactically and positioning wise.

Then it comes down to: have they got the equipment?

We won’t know the answer to that until race one. If the challenger is even in boat speed, then it bodes well for them.

Well Emirates Team New Zealand are just two wins away from making the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

In their match against the Spanish today Dean Barker had a cracker of a start. It was great.

They charged over the line at pace and were able to get bow forward on the Spanish at the first cross. They then bounced them out to the right and edged ahead, then extended round the course.

Chris Dickson’s BMW Oracle Racing are in a bit of trouble trailing Luna Rossa 3-1.

The American’s aren’t nailing their starts. Today James Spithill beat them off the line again Luna Rossa then got the first shift, got bow forward and that was it.

There was a huge (over 2km) separation on the second beat and it initially looked like Oracle had caught up.

However when the boats came back together Luna Rossa were about six lengths ahead at the top mark. You are never going to get back.
Oracle also broke a flipper on their mast in the prestart.

They broke a headsail foil in the round robin which resulted in a loss against Team China which in turn cost them their place as the top challenger. It is surprising that Oracle, of all the teams, are having gear failure.

Oracle are fast enough but the Luna Rossa afterguard are putting the boat in a better position in the crucial parts of the race.

It is a tough road back for Oracle but you would never write them off.

It is difficult to say whether Team New Zealand actually did much to NZL92 between the round robins and the semifinals. They haven’t done a mode change during the round robins or semifinals. By that we mean they have not changed their rudder, keel bulb, etc.

The boat still looks to have the same bulb – the shorter one with the Kiwi flag on it. They may have a new rig in the boat, but it is still one that has four spreaders. A new rig may be a little stiffer, a little lighter and further refined.

It did look like they changed to a different style of mainsail after round robin one. The first one they used looked quite flat and was maybe aimed at more wind. The one they are using now looks a little rounder in the back. But it is very hard to pick because they do a damn good job at making the sails look the same. The layout and the construction is the same.

The challengers are allowed to use only 45 sails during the Louis Vuitton Cup. So it’s important to try to save your sails for the big matches. If Team New Zealand go on to beat Desafio Espanol comfortably from 2-1 up it will mean they have been able to save some new sails. That could be valuable down the track.

It looks like Team New Zealand have improved their downwind sails a lot from last year. It looks like their sail shapes are a lot more forgiving and don’t wobble around as much as they did. They look quite stable. On the whole the team looks solid.

Like all of the teams Team New Zealand are not keen for people to shoot photographs down on to their deck. Deck photos are valuable. You can work out the geometry. You can see where the grinders are on the boat, where the rudder is, where the genoa track is, how big the J measurement is (from the front of the mast to the forestay is). You can also work out the beam of the boat. As one of the narrowest in the competition, for Team New Zealand, that is perhaps something they would like to protect.

BMW Oracle Racing, USA98

It looks like Oracle are still playing around with different configurations to match their opposition. The team did get issued a new measurement certificate on Wednesday. If teams want to change anything significant on their boats they have to get it re-measured. Teams have to have a measurement certificate, which proves their boats comply with the rules, otherwise they are unable to race. It looks like Oracle could be trying to speed their boat up a little bit upwind and trade off a bit downwind to match Luna Rossa.

Luna Rossa look to have sped their boat up on the upwind and traded a bit downwind.

Oracle also have a jumper-less rig which looks pretty nice. They also have ceramic winches, which reduces a bit of weight in the boat. Every kilo you can take out of the boat you can put into the keel. In most of the teams now the winching has been developed in a big way. The winch components are now lower in the floor, dropping the centre of gravity.

Like Alinghi, Oracle have paid a lot of attention to detail. Their sail programme looks nice. They will be using fresh sails against Luna Rossa.

Down track that means they will have burned off a bit more of their ‘Gucci’ gear than Team New Zealand.

Alinghi, SUI100

While the challengers are battling away on the Mediterranean, the two slick red and black Alinghi boats can often been seen hurtling down the coast. On occasions they have appeared ghost-like, emerging through the hazy Valencia conditions.

In the early stages of their campaign Alinghi got a bit stroppy when people tried to photograph part of the deck where the mast connects to it. Maybe they were trying to hide something in relation to their rig, maybe it was something to do with their keel.

It has since been revealed that one or maybe more of the teams has asked the measurer a series of questions relating to the keel. Have Alinghi come up with a way of preventing the keel fin from deflecting under the weight of the 19 tonne keel bulb? Looking at their boats it is difficult to say. Like Oracle, Alinghi have jumper-less rigs, designed to reduce drag by eliminating the jumper near the top of the mast. They are believed to be effective in Valencia where the wind is rather mellow compared with, well, let’s say, Auckland.

The detailing on the Alinghi boats is immaculate. They look like the designers have spent a lot of time on attention to detail, examining everything that might cut down drag both hydro-dynamically and aero-dynamically.

The boats aside, it is believed Alinghi are about to embark on another series of defender trials. The aim of the trials is to fine-tune their crew-work and assess helmsmen Ed Baird and Peter Holmberg.

Rumour has it that if Alinghi think they have a boat-speed advantage the conservative Baird will steer, if not they will got for the more aggressive Holmberg

Luna Rossa, ITA94

The syndicate appear to have a new rig in the boat. Luna Rossa seem to be quite twitchy about people being in their yard.

What they are trying to hide is unclear. Again, it could be something in the keel area.

The Luna Rossa boat is the most radical here. It is very hard in the bilge, very slab-sided and very flat along the bottom. The boat looks good in flat water, maybe not so great in waves.

They look to have done a mode change in between the round robin and the semis to speed the boat up upwind.

It has been suggested the boat has a new bulb, a new rudder, and new fin. That would suggest they have pitched the boat to go upwind and then “hang on” downwind. Against Oracle, they have been quick upwind but have struggled a bit downwind. That could be down to pressure, wind shifts or simply not being quick enough.

Luna Rossa may have decided they are not going to match Oracle’s boat speed so have decided to sail their own race. Something which does come naturally to them.
Desafio Espanol, ESP97

Like BMW Oracle Racing, Desafio Espanol were also issued a new measurement certificate ahead of race three.

Like the Americans, Desafio Espanol were going well downwind but needed to find something more upwind.

Because of the short time frame the change may have been a rudder change or a change to the wings on the keel. A bigger rudder would give them a bit more grip and lift upwind.

Increasing the pitch on the wings improves performance upwind, but also increase drags, making the boat a touch slower downwind. The Spanish had to do something to match the Kiwis upwind. The Spanish boat is quite a tidy package. Their sail and rig programmes both look good.