By JULIE ASH
Not content with having the America's Cup within touching distance, Alinghi last night put the boot further into Team New Zealand, saying yesterday's conditions were "perfect" for sailing.
They weren't for the defenders, however. They were forced to retire for the second time in the match after their
mast broke on the second upwind leg.
Team New Zealand's NZL82 struggled in the strong winds and choppy conditions, whereas Alinghi and their race yacht, SUI64, appeared as solid as a rock.
"It was a beautiful breeze and it was just unfortunate that Team New Zealand broke down," said Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts, who notched up his 13th consecutive cup win.
Race organisers have predicted winds of 15 knots and more today, which means the Swiss syndicate, who are 4-0 up, could have their hands on the America's Cup by tonight.
Alinghi syndicate head and navigator Ernesto Bertarelli said Team NZ "can always come back".
"But they have to win five races and we only have to win one. Since the beginning of this regatta we have only lost three races, so we have to lose more races than we have throughout the whole regatta."
After a nine-day break the crucial fourth race didn't get off to the best of starts for Team New Zealand.
They opted to change headsails just a minute before the five-minute gun. The late change meant they trailed Alinghi into the start box and never recovered.
Alinghi wanted the left and got it, powering over the line 4s ahead of the Black Boat.
The early advantage allowed them an 8s lead at the first mark and they extended this to 17s at the second mark.
Just before the mast collapsed, a batten pocket came away from Team New Zealand's mainsail, which meant it was never at 100 per cent.
Then horror set in when it once again appeared the Black Boat was taking on an awful lot of water.
A skirt had been attached along the side of the yacht to try to reduce the amount of water pouring it - but it seemed to be of no avail.
It was halfway up the second beat, however, in the midst of three big waves, that the tip cup on the second spreader failed and the mast collapsed just 57 minutes after the start.
Team New Zealand then spent the next 13 minutes cutting away the sail and pumping water from the yacht.
"For me, once again, this was nothing to do with luck," said injured Alinghi sailor Christian Karcher.
"This was all about a lack of training, preparation and time on the water. Their boat spent too much time in the shed being fine-tuned ashore.
"Last autumn, nearly a year ago, we wore woollen hats and went out sailing for 12 hours a day. We rarely saw them out there. We were ready for real street fights on the water."
Coming off Alinghi yesterday, Bertarelli looked tired but couldn't resist a smile, knowing his team were just one win away from taking the cup back to Europe.
"We had heard so much about their design team, the speed of their boat and how strong the technology of Team New Zealand was, but out of four races they have only finished two races, so I am a bit surprised."
Like Coutts, Bertarelli said yesterday's conditions were sailable.
"I don't think the conditions were outside the bracket we raced during the Louis Vuitton [challenger series]. For most of the race we sailed well below 20 knots. I think the conditions were fine.
"I am very happy with the speed of the boat. I think on the first and second upwind legs we had an edge on Team New Zealand. So if we have the same conditions [today] I am pretty confident."
A despondent-looking Dean Barker, who must be applauded for fronting up to every press conference so far, admitted his team didn't expect to be sailing in such strong winds.
"We certainly didn't expect to be racing in 28-29 knots during the cup.
"It is always hard with new boats knowing how hard to push them.
"If we had had any serious gear failure it would have hurt our campaign.
"It is tough when you are always worried about what happens if something does break.
"I think it is a real credit to Alinghi for having boats that are strong enough. Maybe they are battle hard from the Louis Vuitton series."
The shore team at Team New Zealand worked thorough the night to get the boat ready for today's race.
The rig from the team's training boat, NZL81, was transferred to NZL82 for what could be their last chance at taking a race from Alinghi.
"We just have to take this on the chin," Barker said, "and move forward again."
Continuous coverage of today's America's Cup race will begin on nzherald.co.nz at 12.30pm.
Race 4: Pictures of the dismasting | Commentary
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule and results
By JULIE ASH
Not content with having the America's Cup within touching distance, Alinghi last night put the boot further into Team New Zealand, saying yesterday's conditions were "perfect" for sailing.
They weren't for the defenders, however. They were forced to retire for the second time in the match after their
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