FOR the second time in his sailing career, skipper Russell Coutts has won the Louis Vuitton Cup after his Alinghi Team defeated Oracle BMW Racing to establish an unassailable 5-1 lead in the waters off Auckland.

THE British crew in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger series for the America’s Cup, took a step up into what has been described as the ‘middle league’ the four teams likely to tussle over the valuable fourth semi finals spot when they dispatched Sweden’s Victory Challenge yesterday by a comfortable 48 seconds.