Of Doug, Dennis, Larry and a blue bucket

By JULIE ASH

It started back in October and ended last weekend when Alinghi took yachting's greatest prize off Team New Zealand.

We take a look back at some of the moments that have helped shape this America's Cup.

* A big bombshell came just a few days into the event when Prada dismissed design director Doug Peterson.

Syndicate head Patrizio Bertelli, married to fashion tycoon Miuccia Prada, admitted Prada had been thinking of removing Peterson from his job for months.

Prada's boats were immediately sent to the boatyard were they underwent important hull modifications.

It was American-born Peterson's second campaign for Prada. He helped to design their Louis Vuitton Cup winners in the last challenger series and has won the America's Cup twice, with United States syndicate America3 in 1992 and with Team New Zealand in 1995.

* At the ripe old age of 60, Mr America's Cup, Dennis Conner, couldn't resist getting behind the handlebars for just one more race.

Lining up against the second Italian challenge, Mascalzone Latino, in round two, Conner cruised to an easy victory. Competing in his ninth cup campaign, he led the Italians around the course before winning by 1m 09s. The match was his only appearance in the event.

* Chris Dickson helped stage the biggest comeback of the cup when he rejoined Oracle in race two of round two. Dickson was booted off the sailing team early last year after what was speculated as friction among the team.

But after a pretty ordinary start to the regatta, Oracle boss Larry Ellison asked the seasoned New Zealand campaigner back.

The result? Oracle sailed through the next 11 races unbeaten and went on to face Alinghi in the Louis Vuitton Cup final.

* The elimination of the Italian syndicates Mascalzone Latino and then Prada provided two of the more moving moments of the regatta.

Mascalzone Latino, known as the Latin Rascals, made it their motto to "sail playfully but seriously". They beat the French challengers, Le Defi Areva, in the first round but lost to them in round two, ending their cup dreams.

"I feel very, very bad, and this is a bad day for us," said syndicate boss and skipper Vincenzo Onorato.

Prada, the defending Louis Vuitton champions, promised so much but delivered so little. Beaten by OneWorld 3-2 in the semifinals, it would have been a miracle if they had advanced any further, considering both of their yachts, ITA74 and ITA80, underwent major operations early in the competition.

* The strangest race in the series was race five of the semifinal clash between OneWorld and Prada. After a 5 1/2 hour delay the race finally began in light and extremely shifty conditions.

OneWorld were over the line first but Prada secured what little breeze there was up the first beat and rounded the first mark 31s ahead.

Their lead was reduced to 8s at the second mark, but then OneWorld found themselves in a hole and stopped dead.

Prada rounded the third mark a staggering 14m 14s ahead of their rival and won the shortened race by 17m 46s.

* OneWorld Challenge, who constantly preached they were here to help save the planet, not just win the cup, spent more time in battles off the water than on it.

Found guilty of possessing another team's design information, OneWorld were pinged a point at the start of the regatta and then an additional point in every round following the quarter-finals after Prada and Team Dennis Conner reopened the case. It was a messy saga and one the event simply did not need.

* For yachting fans around the world, Team New Zealand's near sinking in race one of the America's Cup match will be a moment to remember.

The sight of mid bowman Matt Mitchell bailing with the yacht's toilet - a blue bucket - was enough to give many that sinking feeling.

Unfortunately for Team New Zealand their luck didn't get any better - they lost their mast in race four and broke their spinnaker pole in race five. It was a black campaign for the black boat.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup