Alinghi Team beats Oracle BMW to win Louis Vuitton Cup

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.

After almost a two-hour delay due to light winds, Coutts started work early, luring Oracle BMW helmsman Peter Holmberg into a pre-start penalty. With that early advantage, Coutts was content to wait patiently for an opportunity later in the race to make a pass, and that eventually came near the top of the second beat, when Oracle BMW skipper Chris Dickson elected not to cover.

The American boat sailed into a light patch and what had been a 150-metre lead quickly evaporated as the Swiss team charged in from the right.

Now holding the lead at the second top mark, Coutts and his team protected ferociously the rest of the way, and sailed on to victory. When the wind eventually filled in early in the afternoon, the weather was perfect for the coronation of a champion, with sunny skies and a light sea breeze blessing the Hauraki Gulf.

On past performance, the lighter conditions looked set to favour the American team, setting up what would become a classic match race.

On the final run, the Americans actually regained the lead with some smart tactics and a nice wind shift. However, just before the finishing line, in an effort to engage Alinghi and offload the penalty, they surrendered it again, going down fighting to the end.

With an armada of over 600 spectator boats surrounding the race course, the Alinghi Team crossed the finish line ahead of its American rival to a cacophony of cow’s bells and ship’s horns, securing a 5 -1 series victory and the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Many of the Alinghi crew were with Coutts when he first won the Louis Vuitton in 1995, but for seven sailors on the race crew yesterday, this will be their first taste of champagne from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

With the win, the Swiss team, assembled by Ernesto Bertarelli, earns the right to Challenge Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup beginning on February 15.

And for the second time in a row, there will be no American boat in the America’s Cup.