Louis Vuitton Cup - Day 10

BMW Oracle beats Areva Challenge on day 10 of the Louis Vuitton Cup © Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW ORACLE Racing leads the fleet at the Louis Vuitton Cup

For the second consecutive day, good racing conditions blessed the waters off Port America's Cup in Valencia and two full flights of racing were completed. Conditions were ideal for America's Cup racing with winds up to 13 knots on the south race course and between six and 10 knots on the north race area.

BMW ORACLE Racing remains the only team to be undefeated at the Louis Vuitton Cup, today securing a win over Areva Challenge in Flight 7. The Americans are at the top of the table, one point ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand.

It was also a big day for the home team of Desafío Español who earned two wins to climb the leaderboard. The Spanish side made a nice passing move over Shosholoza in the last match of the day, diving inside the South African team around the windward mark to eke out a small advantage. The Spanish extended to win the race and move into fifth place overall.

Flights 8 and 9 of Round Robin One are scheduled on Thursday when a frontal system is expected to bring cloudy skies, the possibility of rain and an Easterly 10 knot breeze.

Flight 6:

After their close race earlier with BMW ORACLE and following a big win over Luna Rossa yesterday, all eyes were on Team Shosholoza as they lined up with the top challenger on the Louis Vuitton Ranking, Emirates Team New Zealand. The two boats were evenly matched out of the start and after a long tack out to the left, Paolo Cian at the helm of the South African boat tacked towards the Kiwi boat. The two boats carried out an extensive tacking duel up the first beat, with Emirates Team New Zealand slowly pulling away to round the weather mark 23 seconds ahead. While the New Zealanders were unable to extend dramatically over the South Africans, they did manage to slowly gain seconds on each leg to win by 1:23.

Surprisingly the closest match of this flight was between Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team and United Internet Team Germany. At the helm of the German boat Jesper Bank and his team chose well in heading right and despite being the underdog kept it close with the Italians during a tacking duel off towards the starboard layline. The two boats were metres apart all the way up the beat, but the Italians slowly pulled away rounding the top mark with a 22 second advantage. The German team was unable to threaten the Italians in any great way for the remainder of the race, although they made nice gains from a shift on the final run to finish just 24 seconds behind.

Areva Challenge did equally well in its race against Luna Rossa, but still fell short of winning. Following their two defeats yesterday, the Italians added a welcome two points to their total on the scoreboard, with Areva finishing just 33 seconds behind. Victory Challenge sailed +39 Challenge over the port layline, then extended to win by 55 seconds while, as expected, Desafío Español dispatched China Team without drama.

Flight 7:

Team Shosholoza came good once again in the entertainment stakes in its match with Desafío Español. Held on the south course, this race started in winds gusting near 15 knots - the most seen so far at this Louis Vuitton Cup.

Shosholoza was nearly locked out at the committee boat end of the start line but won the favoured right while the Spanish charged away toward the pin. The two boats took a long leg out to the left side with Shosholoza a nose ahead. After a tacking duel, the boats still neck and neck, Shosholoza narrowly led around the weather mark with the Spanish on their transom. But the South Africans appeared to have problems on their spinnaker hoist, while the Spanish crew work was slick and with a faster hoist on ESP 97, the Spanish drew level and then slowly pulled ahead. From the leeward gate rounding where they were 20 seconds astern, the South Africans were never again in contention. The only minor hiccup came when a bowman on the Spanish boat briefly fell overboard as they rounded the leeward gate, but he was retrieved by the crew as they passed by.

A surprisingly close match took place between two of the Italian teams as Luna Rossa and +39 Challenge had a good battle. On the first beat Iain Percy's team on +39 claimed the right, putting them ahead of Luna Rossa. This situation remained the same in spite of a prolonged tacking duel out towards the starboard layline. +39 Challenge was in good shape leading into the weather mark until they tacked too early, following an aggressive luff from Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill. The two extra tacks into the mark let the powerful Luna Rossa through and from there they went on to win by 1:22.

In BMW ORACLE Racing's match against Areva Challenge, Larry Ellison's well polished team pulled ahead on the first beat, ultimately finishing the race ahead of the French team by an impressive 2:54 margin. Similarly despite a brave pre-start from Jesper Bank at the helm of United Internet Team Germany, Emirates Team New Zealand outshone the German team and finished ahead by more than one minute.

Finally Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team race turned into a walkover when China Team suffered damage half way up the first leg of the race course and were forced to retire.

Louis Vuitton Cup - Wednesday Races:

Flight 6:

Flight 7:

Louis Vuitton Cup - Round Robin One - Provisional Leaderboard:

Update from BMW Oracle Racing:

USA 98 scores another win in Valencia

Valencia, Spain. BMW ORACLE Racing maintained its winning momentum and unbeaten record in the opening round of the Louis Vuitton Cup with a comfortable victory over the French Areva Challenge team in Valencia today.

With a bye in the first match, USA 98 had a relatively light workload, but still holds its place at the top of the leaderboard, 1 point clear of Emirates Team New Zealand.

“We had the race in control at the start and then the plan was to cover and extend,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler.

Race summary: The two yachts started on opposite ends of the line in a 7-8 knot breeze. USA 98 left the line on port tack at the Committee Boat end, with the French crew on starboard at the pin end. At the first windward mark, BMW ORACLE Racing led by 44 seconds and extended to 48 seconds at the leeward rounding. USA 98 kept extending and rounded the final mark with a commanding 1 minute 57 second lead, which opened up further to 2 minutes 54 seconds at the finish.

Quotes from Peter Isler: “When the wind started to go light we realised it could get random out there, so we probably played it more conservatively than usual. We just played by the book and did not do anything fancy. We could see lead changes going on in the other match, so we realised anything could happen. It was a tricky race course out there.“

Update from Emirates Team New Zealand:

Two solid wins as the breeze builds

Emirates Team New Zealand took to the race course today looking for two more wins.

First up was against Shosholoza a match that was keenly anticipated around Port America’s Cup. Shosholoza tipped up Luna Rossa Challenge yesterday and the speculation was that maybe they could do the same to Emirates Team New Zealand.

The mood on board NZL 92 was to ensure that didn’t happen.

The breeze was still a light 9 – 11 knots and on-board wind spotter Mark Mendelblatt spent a good part of the race up NZL 92’s mast.

Dean Barker and crew took NZL 92 into the start box in an obviously aggressive mood; he tied up the South Africans in a series of manoeuvres that had RSA 83 dead in the water.

With the control in the start, NZL 92 took the right, got the lead, and used it to relentlessly push RSA 83 out to the port lay-line. RSA 83 threw 17 tacks at NZL 92 as they worked desperately to break away. But NZL 92 gave them no chance and worked the lay-line hard to lead around the top mark by 23sec.

Once around the mark, NZL 92 continued to extend, adding 24 seconds on the run to round the leeward mark with a 47sec lead.

The second beat was a repeat of the first. NZL 92 dug in and gave the South Africans no room to move, rounding the top mark 1.15 ahead.

At the finish the delta was 1.23 to New Zealand.

Grant Dalton: “Shosholoza can be very slippery. Give them half a chance and they will get away. The breeze for the first race was still light and there were not a lot of passing lanes out there so we were never going to let them get even a slight advantage.

“We went into the start the way we intended to continue – to unsettle them, break their rhythm and, with the ensuing domination, get a lead and build it metre by metre.

“Dean gave a masterful display of controlled aggression in the pre-start. That really set us up. Once we had gained control early in the first beat the result was never really in doubt.”

He said the team is encouraged that NZL 92 can extend on the beat as well as down wind. “We are showing good speed on the runs when the breeze is light and so far this week we are feeling comfortable on the beats.

“But there’s still a lot of sailing to be done in this regatta and we have yet to line up against BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa.”

Against Germany in the second match of the day, Barker again went into the start box determined to get the right side of the course. The breeze had increased by a couple of knots and a chop developed, making it the strongest breeze and the most challenging seaway of the regatta.

He won the start, claimed the right of the course, and established an early lead and they then settled down for the beat.

NZL 92 won the first cross and proceeded to build a healthy 30sec margin at the top mark. But GER 89 was not giving without a fight.

Grant Dalton: “The Germans sailed a good race. They kept it really tight for the first couple of legs. We were looking over our shoulder most of the time …

‘We were never really troubled after the first two legs but in yacht racing you’re never really confident until we have crossed the finish line.”

At the end of the second beat, NZL 92’s margin was 1.09 and at the finish 1.03.

Update from Luna Rossa:

Weak winds for Luna Rossa who wins two races today

The sixth and seventh flight of the eliminatory Louis Vuitton Round Robin 1 took place today in Valencia.

In the first match Luna Rossa faced off against Areva Challenge (FRA 93). Weather conditions on the northern course (Romeo) saw winds from the east south east at 7-9 knots, cloudy skies and calm seas. At the start the afterguard on board Luna Rossa asks for the left and Spithill gets it shoving the French off to starboard. A brief separation between the boats comes to a halt when Luna Rossa tacks almost immediately towards the right hand side of the course. Halfway up the beat both boats are sailing past the starboard layline, with ITA 94 inside and overlapped who manages to pass into the lead and round the mark 16 seconds before her opponent. Luna Rossa continues her race keeping the French in check while capitalizing on the favorable wind shifts. The deltas on FRA 93 are 19 seconds at the leeward gate, 27 seconds at the second top mark and 33 seconds at the finishing line.

At the start of the second match the wind has dropped considerably. For Luna Rossa this is the first derby against the Italians of +39. Spithill, from port, sails deep into the box avoiding the cross and the dial up. Regardless of the good timing and speed on the start line ITA 94 falls behind +39 due to a wind shift to the left. The grinders work their heart out and after 18 tacks Luna Rossa is on the port layline, neck to neck with ITA 85. Good tactics allow Luna Rossa to round the top mark with a 16 second lead. During the following three legs the wind decreases even more rotating towards the left; Francesco de Angelis and his team increase the advantage on their opponents and Luna Rossa cuts the finishing line with a 1 minute and 22 second final delta.

“The race against +39 was a hard fought one and the change of course made it all longer. We are very happy about how our boat has been performing with these very light winds. Now we’ll see how she does with stronger ones” said Torben Grael, Luna Rossa’s tactician. “Tomorrow we are going to give it 150% and we’ll try to win the race against Emirates Team New Zealand” he concluded.

While the races on the Romeo course (north) were finishinf with barely 6 knots of wind, on the southern course (Juliet) the breeze had picked up to 15 knots. The forecast call for a worsening of the weather conditions with winds blowing up to 12-14 knots tomorrow.

Update from Team Shosholoza:

Euphoria from yesterday's wins doesn't help Shosholoza today

Despite lingering euphoria over yesterday's magnificent victory over the Italian giant Luna Rossa and a second win off China Team, Team Shosholoza failed to sustain their winning form against Emirates Team New Zealand or the Spanish Desafío Español Team in two tough races sailed in stronger wind conditions in the Louis Vuitton Cup off Valencia, Spain today.

"We are not upset. We knew the stronger winds today reaching up to 17 knots were not optimum for our boat. But we fought, we fought hard and I'm proud of that", said team founder and managing director Captain Salvatore Sarno.

Racing in flight six against Emirates Team New Zealand the South Africans survived repeated attacks from the Kiwis in the pre-start but eventually got away to a good start on the gun at the pin end of the line. But it was the New Zealanders who started to eke out a lead in the 10 knot breezes despite an exhausting 17 tack duel initiated by the South Africans all the way to the first windward mark. The New Zealanders rounded 23 seconds ahead and went on to extend their lead around the course to take the finish 1 minute 23 seconds ahead of the South Africans.

Crucial moments against the locals

The wind was up to 16 knots for Team Shosholoza's second late afternoon race of the day in flight seven against the Spanish Desafío Español. The South Africans came in a little late at the Committee Boat side of the line for the start but despite a lot of separation controlled the start to get a slim early lead in the first beat. The lead changed several times in an exciting first beat battle for supremacy. But it was the South Africans who edged ahead by six seconds to round the windward mark first.

But the Spanish home team appeared to have better speed in the stronger winds and took the lead on the run opening it to just 20 seconds at the leeward gate despite a dramatic rounding, which saw one of the Spanish mid-bowman go over the side with the spinnaker only to be pulled in again by one of their grinders. The Spanish extended the lead to 35 seconds at the final windward mark. They took the finish line with Shoshloza hot in pursuit and fighting hard just two boat lengths and 57 seconds behind.

"We would have like to have won both races but to be realistic they were two top teams and two very tough matches", said Shosholoza skipper Mark Sadler.

Team Shosholoza has taken two previous wins off the Spanish team. It is the fourth Spanish Challenge for the America's Cup since 1992 but the 2007 Challenge is entirely new. The sailing team is predominantly Spanish, all with prior America's Cup experience or the Olympics but includes top international match race sailors like helmsman Karol Jablonski and Jesper Radich. The team budget is announced at 60 million euros.

The two losses saw Shosholoza's ranking drop from fourth overall after seven flights of races so far in Round Robin 1, to seventh. Three flights of races are still to be held in Round Robin 1 all of them critical for the South Africans. Tomorrow (Thursday) Shosholoza faces the two Italian teams Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia and +39 and the French AREVA Challenge on Friday.

Weather and wind permitting Round Robin 2 will start on Saturday with Shosholoza up against Sweden's Victory Challenge in the first flight.