Sips from the cup: Italian challengers home for launch

By JULIE ASH

After a short stint in Auckland, Italy's second challengers, Mascalzone Latino, are back home preparing for the launch of their new-generation yacht ITA72.

It will be launched in Naples next Saturday and then taken to the team's headquarters in Portoferraio (Elba Island).

The team will spend a couple of months in Italy with the new boat and their old training boat, the former Bravo Espagna, before moving to Auckland in August.

* * *

Also gearing up for their boat launch, on May 17, are French challengers Le Defi Areva.

The French syndicate will launch FRA69 in Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast.

* * *

The Oracle Racing team have been given two weeks off, but a full schedule awaits the Americans on their return.

Some members of the sailing team will head to Croatia for the ACI Cup, the next round of the Swedish Match Tour. Another team and training boat USA49 will compete in an America's Cup-class regatta in San Francisco - a reunion of old America's Cup yachts from the past decade.

By mid-year the sailors will get their long-awaited gift - the first of Oracle's two new-generation racing boats, USA71. The second, USA76, will not be far behind.

"We are very excited about getting our new boats," Oracle sailing director John Cutler said. "They will be a reflection of our hard work.

"While it's been good using the old USA49 and USA61, they were products of a different campaign. We're just looking forward to sailing something that we've all had an input into." The decision to stay in Auckland through the winter had so far proved a good one.

"Right now, this is as good a place as any in the world to be sailing. It's been fantastic weather," Cutler said. "And even when you accept you are not going to sail every day in Auckland over the winter, you are still going to get more sailing by staying here."

It also meant Oracle could expand its racing programme to include competitions against teams such as Alinghi, OneWorld and Victory Challenge, which would also continue training on the Hauraki Gulf.

"You get little snapshots of how the others are doing, but everyone is working hard and have the same priorities as we do, so we really won't know how strong they are until we come up against them on race day."

* * *

The Swedish television channel following Victory Challenge in their Louis Vuitton Cup build-up has ranked the challengers based on what it has seen in Auckland and consultation with experts:

Alinghi (Switzerland) 1, Prada (Italy) 2, Stars and Stripes (US) 3, Oracle Racing (US) 4, OneWorld (US) 5, Victory Challenge (Sweden) 6, GBR Challenge (Britain) 7, Le Defi Areva (France) 8 and Mascalzone Latino (Italy) 9.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup