Although Team New Zealand lost the match, they fought it out until the end. We should be proud of them.
They put it all on the line but weren't good enough.
The positives are that Alinghi are not a generation ahead and Team NZ should be at thenext cup. Not a lot needs to change. The regatta started off with a bit of a debacle with all the delays and finished in a bizarre manner.
Although they are raving about the venue being brilliant, I am not so sure about that. The shore base is excellent but not so the sailing conditions. The lack of a consistent wind was disappointing.
In race three, Alinghi bagged the race officer and to have a finish like yesterday, where the breeze collapsed so quickly, was alarming.
Off the line, it was a good start from Dean Barker but Alinghi, in a compromised position, hung on.
The race was a classic day of how powerful it was on the right-hand side of your opposition. The power was really on the right on the upwinds. Sailing on the left, Team NZ, on both upwind legs, were bow forward but were unable to capitalise on that.
On the downwind, Team NZ did well to roll Alinghi on the first run. At the bottom mark gate, the Kiwis took the right-hand gate looking down and got passed both times.
The last downwind was bizarre. At the top mark, Alinghi did a dial down. The boat on starboard has the rights, which was Alinghi. The dial down was a set move. Alinghi had practised it. Alinghi dialled down when the New Zealanders dialled down and held their course. Team NZ were ruled not to have kept clear. It was a penalty.
Most of us thought the game was over but then, on the downwind, the breeze collapsed near the finish and we saw Team NZ get rid of their penalty and miss going into the eighth race by one second. What a race it was.
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