Flukey winds send yachts back to port

3.45pm - The fourth race in the America's Cup will be sailed on Saturday, weather permitting.

3.19pm - Today's racing in the America's Cup has been cancelled. Team NZ did not agree to begin the 4th race of the best-of-nine series beyond the standard deadline of 3.30pm. The Race Director would have needed the agreement of both teams to begin racing after 3.30pm. Racing had been postponed from the scheduled start time of 1.15pm due to unstable winds.

3.11pm - Team NZ have agreed to a proposal from race director Harold Bennett to call off racing today due to unstable winds. Team Alinghi have not replied. If the 10-minute gun is not fired by 3.20pm, for a 3.30pm start, then there can be no racing today unless both teams agree.

2.52pm - Racing will not start at 3.00pm after all as the wind direction remains inconsistent. The cut-off time for a start is 3.30pm unless both teams agree to a later start. Both yachts have dropped their headsails.

2.30pm - Race Director Harold Bennett has asked both teams to stand by for a 3.00pm start as the breeze becomes established.

2.10pm - Both yachts have hoisted genoas and are warming up. Although the wind is still light and flukey, it is gradually filling in.

1.43pm - Team NZ NZL82 and Alinghi SUI64 are sailing under mainsails only as the race postponement flag flies from the committee boat.

1.00pm - Race Director Harold Bennett has confirmed that racing will not begin on time due to light and shifty winds.

12.39pm - Today's fourth race in the America's Cup is unlikely to start on time at 1.15pm, due to light winds on the Hauraki Gulf. The wind is currently out of the southwest at about 6 knots off the East Coast Bays and is shifting by up to 25 degrees. The forecast is for SW winds of 5-15 knots.

11.34am - Opposition leader Bill English joined in a bare-chested haka this morning as Team New Zealand supporters farewelled the black boat and her crew at the Viaduct Harbour. The haka was organised by rugby stars Frano Botica and Eric Rush.

Other supporters cheered from the surrounding docks, and a flotilla of boats accompanied NZL82 and Team New Zealand training boat NZL81 as they made their way to the race course on the Hauraki Gulf.

Dean Barker and his crew aboard NZL82 must fight to overcome a 0-3 deficit in the best-of-nine America's Cup series against Swiss challenger Alinghi.

9.20am - Team New Zealand announced a significant crew change for the fourth race. Tactician Hamish Pepper has been removed from the afterguard and replaced by Bertrand Pace.

Frenchman Pace has been the back-up helmsman to Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker as they practised with the syndicate's two boats on the Hauraki Gulf in the months leading up to the America's Cup.

As well as having been a world match racing champion, Pace, 41, has been involved in four French America's Cup campaigns, including skippering their shoestring entry in the 2000 event.

There are no other changes to the 16-member Team New Zealand crew for today's race. Pace joins Adam Beashel and Peter Evans in the afterguard aboard NZL-82.

Team NZ, flying the yellow flag, will enter the start box from the starboard (committee boat) end of the start line. Alinghi, flying the blue flag, will enter from the port (pin) end.

Continuous coverage will begin on nzherald.co.nz at 12.30pm. For the quickest updates, we suggest you keep this page open and refresh it every few minutes.

Today's weather, issued by MetService at 10.59am:

Forecast for the Hauraki Gulf: Southwest 10 knots, tending westerly early afternoon, rising to 15 knots this evening, and to 20 knots tomorrow morning. Sea slight, becoming moderate tomorrow morning, choppy when wind opposes tide. Fair visibility in showers.

At 11.30am, the wind at Tiriti Matangi island was SW 16-18 knots.

Today's crews:

Team New Zealand NZL-82

Bowman: Jeremy Lomas

Mid Bowman: Matt Mitchell

Mastman: Nick Heron

Pitman: Jared Henderson

Runner/Pit: Barry McKay

Grinder: Jono Macbeth

Grinder: Rob Waddell

Grinder: Chris Ward

Trimmer: James Dagg

Trimmer: Grant Loretz

Mainsheet Trimmer: Tony Rae

Afterguard: Adam Beashel

Afterguard: Peter Evans

Afterguard: Bertrand Pacé (replacing Hamish Pepper)

Navigator: Mike Drummond

Skipper: Dean Barker

17th man: Clay Oliver (designer)

Alinghi SUI-64

Foredeck: Dean Phipps

Foredeck: Curtis Blewett

Mastman: Francesco Rapetti

Pitman: Josh Belsky

Grinder: Kai Bjorn

Grinder: Will McCarthy

Genoa Trimmer: Simon Daubney

Trimmer: Richard Bouzaid

Grinder: Dominik Neidhart

Mainsail Traveller: Murray Jones

Mainsail Trimmer: Warwick Fleury

Grinder: Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyzen

Strategist: Jochen Schuemann

Navigator: Ernesto Bertarelli

Tactician: Brad Butterworth

Helmsman/Skipper: Russell Coutts

17th man: -

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