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.