Off course: Reality check

Okay, keep the hope alive but it's 3-0 down, and it's time to get real. Here are 10 tips for a reality check.

1. Alinghi have won in high winds, low winds and medium winds. At this stage, it's 100 per cent if there's wind, they win.

2. Forget talk of which boat is faster. That's three times they have got to the finish line faster than us.

3. Russell Coutts is the "Fitzy" of the Hauraki Gulf; he just hates to be beaten.

4. All the positive talk just ended with us losing by more than on Sunday.

5. We've had eight good years and the Swiss haven't had much to cheer about recently.

6. The Hula has turned out to be a Hawaiian dance after all.

7. Chris Dickson and Oracle gave Alinghi a fright and took one race in the Louis Vuitton final.

8. Don't go overboard; New Zealand still produced much of the technology on show on the Gulf - on both boats.

9. Not to mention the best sailors in the world - on both boats.

10. How's that World Cup cricket, eh?

* * *

What's different about the crowd at the Viaduct Harbour for this America's Cup.

There's still thousands of people cheering the boats out to the race-course, and they're pretty much all backing the New Zealanders.

But instead of the traditional sea of red, this time there's a sea of black. Three years ago, the Viaduct was filled with red socks - sometimes, shockingly, worn with sandals, and sometimes on pets - as fans poured in to back the late Sir Peter Blake's team.

Now it's black T-shirts and loyal flags, a different look altogether - and perhaps not as much fun.

* * *

Speaking of socks. Team New Zealand's crew are sporting special red socks each race day - and not the old NZL57 and NZL60 from the last cup.

Instead the sailors have their own new socks, with their new boats' sail numbers, NZL81 and NZL82, stitched on the side.

They were a present from sponsor and fan, Line 7 boss Ross Munro, who just thought they should have some.

"They've been pretty lucky so far," he said.

Line 7 is not selling the socks, they were made only as a gift for the team.

* * *

And in support of the black look - Auckland District Health Board yesterday told its staff they could wear black and white to help cheer on the New Zealand sailors.

The board, which has several thousand staff, is even letting nurses move away from their traditional uniform if they want to don some black or red socks for Team New Zealand.

* * *

The Herald Online is getting 50 per cent more hits during the America's Cup racing, said engineer Grant Taylor. He said the system was pretty busy yesterday as racing began, with about 65,000 people looking at the Herald website between 1pm and 2pm.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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