Britain lose by just 20 seconds on return to America’s Cup

BRITAIN were defeated in their historic first return to the America’s Cup stage in 15 years, as they lost to Team Dennis Conner’s vastly experienced crew on Stars and Stripes in the first showcase race of the 31st America’s Cup series.

Caught slightly flat-footed off the start line, a deficit they quickly recovered, Peter Harrison’s young GBR Challenge team came back at Stars and Stripes five times and came close to passing the New York Yacht Club team at the last leeward mark.

In the shifty breeze which rose and fell and changed direction by up to 25 degrees at times both teams knew that their best chance of success was to stick in the same patch of water, and a classic duel emerged. At best GBR Challenge whittled back an early 17 seconds margin to just six seconds, but chose to gamble on the final downwind leg.

“We felt we had been losing a little on the previous two downwind legs on boat speed and so we felt we had to try something different,” Walker said later.

In the other opening round matches the main three favourites Alinghi, One World and Oracle BMW Racing all won.

Meanwhile, Maurice O’Connell, representing the Royal Cork and Royal St George Yacht Clubs and sailing Tony and Franco Magliocco’s Taz, won the J24 Irish Championships sailed in Lough Ree Yacht Club last weekend.

O’Connell, crewed by David Hassett, Aidan O’Connell, David Meagher and Mark Jardine won the event scoring two 1sts, three 2nds, a 4th and a 5th. They discarded a 10th, their worst result, to give them a winning margin of 8 points.

It is O’Connell’s fourth one-design championship victory this year and adds to his British Melges 24 National Championships, Irish and European 1720 Championships.

He also finished 2nd in the British J24 Nationals in July and won the Rolex Inshore Trophy in the Rolex Commodore’s Cup sailing as tactician on Chernikeef.

Bryan Maguire of the Royal Irish Yacht Club sailing Cries of Passion finished third.

Louis Vuitton Cup, Auckland. Round Robin1:

Race 1, Match 1: Alinghi (Sui, R Coutts) finished 14:22:53 defeated Le Defi AREVA (Fra, L Pillot) finished 14:27.41

Match 2: Team Dennis Conner (USA, K Read) finished 14:35.49 defeated GBR Challenge (GBR, I Walker) finished 14:36.09.

Match 3: Oracle BMW Racing (USA, P Holmberg) finished 14:46.46, defeated Prada (Ita, F d’Angelis) finished 14:47.28.

Match 4: OneWorld (USA, P Gilmour) finished 14:52.18 defeated Mascalzone Latino (Ita, P Cian) finished 14:58.01.