3.35pm
Russell Coutts and his Swiss team Alinghi ended Oracle BMW Racing's unbeaten run on day eight of the Louis Vuitton Challenger series.
The race was initially much closer than the final winning margin of 1min 43sec would indicate.
The pre-start was ferocious with Alinghi (SUI-64), skippered and Oracle BMW Racing (USA-76)
attacking each other at every turn.
Although the boats were at times just centimetres from touching, no penalties were assessed and both yachts started cleanly, with Oracle helmsman Peter Holmberg on the right, and Alinghi close to leeward.
Within seconds of the start gun, Coutts luffed hard and forced USA-76 to tack. The yachts drag-raced up the right side of the race course and, when Holmberg tacked onto starboard tack, Coutts couldn't cross ahead and tacked into a safe leeward position.
Holmberg initially looked strong here, with enough separation to sail Coutts out to the port tack layline, but the Swiss skipper was able to squeeze up and eventually forced Holmberg to tack away.
Instead of leading in from the port tack layline, Holmberg soon found himself following Alinghi down the starboard tack layline.
That allowed the Swiss boat to round the top mark with a 32-second advantage and Coutts was able to extend that lead on the first two laps of the course.
Oracle BMW Racing never closed within one minute the rest of the way.
Oracle, who were forced to change navigators after Ian Burns fell off his bike and damaged his collerbone, finished the final leg 1 minute and 43s after OneWorld, raising questions about the speed of their boat in light, downwind conditions.
Winds: SW 10-14k
Winning margin: 01.43
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