Well another day, another race completed in the America's Cup.
Alinghi bounced back and levelled the score at 2-all in the best of nine race series.
Alinghi got a slight edge at the start and kept it through better boat positioning.
Going into the last 30 seconds ofthe prestart the New Zealanders looked quite strong and were leading back. I thought that Team New Zealand won the start but at the last crucial three or four seconds Alinghi got their bow up quicker than the New Zealanders and jumped over the line. It also looked like they got a bit of right hand pressure as well.
They went all the way to the port lay line. To live in that windward position all the way to the layline, so be it they were slightly bow forward, would indicate that Alinghi had a slight speed edge over New Zealand.
They got all the way to the lay line, Alingh tacked and the New Zealanders were forced to follow in. Really that was probably the match.
The America's Cup Jury will hear a protest from Team New Zealand tonight (NZT) regarding Alinghi's use of a crewman to assist their mainsail down in race four. The class rule states that "the mainsails should be able to be lowered to the deck with out the necessity of a crew member going up aloft." The measurers boarded the two yachts for a routine check after race four. Because of the rough sea state Alinghi asked if they could send a crewman up to put a halyard on loosely. The measurer agreed which was in contravention of the rules.
Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth has been big on name calling lately. First of all he called the race committee a bunch of "wallies" for not controlling the spectators then yesterday he called some the media "uneducated" for asking about what happened with the measurer and the mainsail yesterday.
The rules state "the mainsails should be able to be lowered to the deck with out the necessity of a crew member going up aloft."
To see a guy up the rig when the main is coming down it would be unintelligent of us not to ask.
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