Heavy winds hit America’s Cup

HEAVY winds and high seas have forced the postponement of racing in the America’s Cup challengers semi-finals, with Swiss syndicate Alinghi just one win away from reaching the final.

Winds in the Hauraki Gulf off New Zealand’s largest city averaged 28 knots yesterday, well above the 19-knot upper limit set for the expensive but fragile America’s Cup class yachts. Regatta officials postponed racing until today.

Biotechnology billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi lead US team Oracle BMW Racing 3-0 after dominating the first three races of their best-of-seven race “double chance” semi-final of the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers series.

Oracle, backed by software billionaire Larry Ellison, appear headed for a semi-finals repechage against the winners of the elimination semi-final between defending challengers champions Prada of Italy and embattled US team OneWorld.

The winner of that repechage will then go on to the final.

OneWorld have beaten Prada twice so far but the scores in their series are tied at 1-1 after their first three races.

An arbitration panel on Monday imposed a one-point penalty on OneWorld for possessing boat design secrets from other teams in the latest chapter of a long-running spy scandal. The same penalty will be levied against OneWorld at each remaining stage.

Prada and beaten syndicate Team Dennis Conner had protested against OneWorld, seeking the disqualification of the $75m team.

The winners of the challengers series will sail against holders Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup in February 2003.