By JULIE ASH
Oracle skipper Chris Dickson said yesterday that his team would not concede a match to Russell Coutts' Alinghi despite trailing 3-0 in the challenger series semifinal.
Alinghi came from behind to beat Oracle BMW Racing while a red-flag penalty cost Prada in their match against OneWorld.
Coutts cleaned Oracle
out at the start, powering over the start line 4s ahead.
Dickson put himself at the wheel of USA76, leaving Peter Holmberg ashore and installing John Cutler as strategist.
The move appeared to have paid off as Oracle rounded the first mark 9s ahead.
They led around the next three marks, but Alinghi made the most of a left-hand shift on the third beat.
That was the defining moment of the match because it lifted Alinghi ahead of their rivals and gave them a 17s advantage at the final mark.
Alinghi extended their lead on the last run to win by 46s.
Although disappointed with the loss, Dickson said the match had given his team the opportunity to make changes to the boat and crew.
"I decided to steer today in consultation with Larry Ellison.
"We need to look at our boat-speed from different angles, and for me to have the opportunity to drive today and see relative boat-speed from a different angle was beneficial."
Strong winds are predicted for the next few days, which means if racing is postponed it will be difficult for Oracle to win before the final day of the series on Tuesday.
Dickson said conceding a match to Alinghi to give themselves more time to prepare for the semifinal repechage was not an option.
"We haven't given up hope of winning this series yet.
"Alinghi might chose to concede, you never know," he quipped.
In the OneWorld and Prada match, the Americans led by 10s around the firstmark.
The pair were bow to bow down the first run, but as they approached the second mark Prada were penalised.
Prada's overlap was broken which meant they had to gybe immediately and sail a proper course.
They failed to do this and incurred a red-flag penalty which had to be taken immediately.
The mistake was game, set and match for OneWorld who went on to win by 33s.
For today, organisers have predicted 16 to 23-knot northerly winds, increasing to 36 knots later in the day.
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