Swiss yacht cruises to challenge final
Skippered by New Zealander Russell Coutts, Alinghi won by 48 seconds to take an unbeatable 4-0 lead in the best of seven semi-finals.
In a double-header to make up for lost time over the weekend American OneWorld defeated Italy’s Prada twice to give them a 3-1 lead in the five races which OneWorld started carrying a penalty point.
Racing was postponed over the weekend because of unsuitable weather and competition Monday was on a shortened two-lap course.
Alinghi goes through to the best of seven finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America's Cup challenge round, starting January 11. Oracle will go through to the repechage semi-finals starting Friday.
It will be joined by either OneWorld, which is on match point, or Prada, with the winner going on to meet Alinghi.
Whoever wins the Louis Vuitton wins the right to take on Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup starting February 15.
Alinghi won its race Monday convincingly and were in control from the start. Within about a minute of the start the Swiss team were two lengths ahead of Oracle, skippered by New Zealander Chris Dickson.
Alinghi were 35 seconds ahead at the first mark, but Oracle managed to cut that to 11 seconds after the downwind leg.
Going upwind the second time, Oracle closed the gap a little, before the Swiss team pulled away again.
In the other race, a big right wind shift put OneWorld into an unassailable position. In 24 to 37 kilometres per hour (13 to 17 knot) south-southwest winds, the boats went left for about 16 minutes all the way to the layline.
As they tacked right, OneWorld was about a length ahead, and was 11 seconds in front as the boats went round the first mark.
On past performance, the Italian team were expected to come back at OneWorld downwind, but the challenge never came. And as the teams closed on the second mark, OneWorld managed to gain a little by being slightly more manoeuvrable as the boats gybed.
The Seattle team was 17 seconds ahead at the mark, and as the boats headed back upwind for the second time the wind shifted a long way to the right. OneWorld suddenly had a lead of nearly 300 metres (yards) and was never in danger of losing, crossing the finish 58 seconds ahead.
The Italians appealed for the second race of the day to be called off because of a mechanical fault, but the appeal was turned down.
Prada briefly looked to be in the race, but near a bottom mark the Italian crew work failed and they dropped their spinnaker in the water, slowing the team drastically. OneWorld won the second race by two minutes 32 seconds.
OneWorld only needs one more win from today’s two races to go to the repachage, sending the Italians home for Christmas. If the Italians pick up two wins, a single winner- takes-all race will follow.
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