Moment of truth early on

By JULIE ASH

It will be almost too unbearable to watch - the first cross on the first beat in today's opening race of the America's Cup.

For Team New Zealand and Alinghi, that crucial moment will be confirmation of which boat has an edge, in today's conditions at least.

For one team it will be a cruel blow to the stomach; for the other, the chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

But until then it is anyone's guess as to how Team New Zealand and their radical yacht, NZL82, will fare against Russell Coutts and his Swiss syndicate Alinghi - a team laden with seasoned sailors.

"We are just looking forward to getting out there and racing," Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker said at a media conference in Auckland yesterday.

"It has been a long time for us watching the challenger series."

The 31st defence of the America's Cup will go down as a showdown between two New Zealand skippers.

It was the match all New Zealanders wanted, even though they are probably a little unsure of the outcome.

On one side are Coutts and five of the men who won the cup for Team NZ in 1995 and helped to defend it in 2000.

On the other is Barker and a team of young and inexperienced sailors who have been patiently waiting to prove they can rise to the challenge.

"Russell and the guys such as Brad Butterworth, Warren Fleury, Murray Jones, Simon Daubney and Dean Phipps have proved over the past two America's Cups they are right at the pinnacle," Barker said.

"So if we go out there and beat them we deserve to keep the cup here."

But while Alinghi have the edge in terms of experience, it is Team New Zealand, with their radical yacht design, who are the unknown quantity.

With its hull appendage, four-spreader rig and extremely long keel bulb, NZL82 is vastly different from anything seen in the Louis Vuitton challenger series.

But Team New Zealand syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg, when asked if he thought the black boat would be faster, said it was too early to say.

"We think we understand the design game, and if we understand it as well as we think we do, we might have a little edge.

"We would like to think that our boat will be better all of the time and if that happens we will be very happy. But unfortunately life doesn't work like that and we may find over a range of conditions that we have our day in certain directions and wind speeds, and in other ranges the other boat has its day. We could be in for an exciting regatta that takes a little while to resolve."

While there is nothing special about the Alinghi boat, there is something special about its results.

Of the 28 races the crew sailed during the challenger series they lost just three, and their yacht proved over and over again to be a solid all-round boat.



History shows that the America's Cup is almost always won by the fastest boat.

After the launch of their new-generation boats, Team New Zealand were quick to discard NZL60, the yacht that blitzed Prada 5-0 in the last cup.

That possibly indicates the team's new boats are significantly faster.

Coutts said that teamwork was ultimately the winning factor.



"The team as a whole are responsible for developing the boat, and the team are largely responsible for how it sails on the water," he said.

The situation does bear similarities to the 1983 match when Alan Bond's radical Australia II lined up against Dennis Conner's Liberty.

Conner's team oozed experience, while Bond's team relied on their innovative boat to win them the cup.

And it did - eventually.

Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Australians, who performed better in varying conditions, fought back to win 4-3.

That could be the case on the Hauraki Gulf over the next fortnight. Team New Zealand are expected to have an edge in stronger conditions and Alinghi in lighter conditions.

In contrast to the challenger series, the America's Cup has no wind limits and it is up to principal race officer Harold Bennett to decide whether sailing will go ahead.

"We have had a meeting with both teams this week and we have agreed that if we have lighter wind - winds down the lower range which are not consistent in speed and direction throughout the entire course - then we don't want to go," Bennett said.

"At the other end, it becomes a discretionary move for safety and fair sailing."

Today's forecast is for moderate, 16 to 18-knot winds, and lighter conditions are expected for tomorrow.

Never before has a challenger won the America's Cup at their first attempt - but as Alinghi syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli points out, there is a first time for everything.

"We are going to see if we can change history," he said.

"I think the America's Cup is about challenges, and this is an extra one we are ready to take on."

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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