Off course

Viaduct bar, The Loaded Hog, organised a "thankyou" night for America's Cup drinkers and crew this week, featuring a mock race between local heroes Team New Zealand and Swiss pretenders Alinghi. With former Kiwi sailor turned European crewman Simon Daubney looking on, the party atmosphere turned grim as Alinghi raced up the first beat metres ahead of the battling New Zealand. But just as all looked lost, the black boat streaked past Alinghi on the inside and as they cleared the first mark ahead, the spontaneous roar from the patrons left Daubney in no doubt who remain the waterfront's favourites. So who won in the end? To be continued, MC for the evening Peter Montgomery said.

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Readers of the New York Times have been asked if pursuit of the America's Cup is a blessing or a curse, with writer Warren St John outlining how death and misfortune have afflicted some past cup campaigners. St John writes about the murder of Team New Zealand's very own Sir Peter Blake, the sudden death of the man behind the Swedish Challenge, Jan Stenbeck, and young Briton James Ashbury, who was apparently so depressed after losing two cup campaigns that he moved to New Zealand to be a sheep farmer. St John goes on to outline the business woes of Aussies Alan Bond and John Bertrand, before quoting New Zealand banker Sir Michael Fay as saying he doesn't believe in such a jinx. Now, about that winebox inquiry ...

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Shipping News: One of the sleekest, swiftest and biggest superyachts parked at the Viaduct is the 146-foot Mari Cha III. Built for Hong Kong billionaire Bob Miller, a co-founder of Duty Free Shopping, and named for his daughters, Mari Cha III was designed by a Frenchman and built by Sensation and Marten Yachts in New Zealand. The carbon-fibre yacht, worth at least $50 million, was designed to be a high-performance cruiser also capable of breaking records, and so she did in 1998 when she set a transatlantic record for a monohull, completing the 2925-mile journey in eight days, 23 hours. Twice the length of a modern America's Cup boat, with a mast soaring almost 49m above the deck, the Mari Cha needs between 20 and 30 crew to work the sails when in full flight.

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And the Cup goes to: Team New Zealand.

Prime Minister Helen Clark declined to give a score, but was confident the local team would win. "Team New Zealand has a highly accomplished, incredibly motivated and very professional crew. I have every confidence in the team competing successfully."

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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