By JULIE ASH
With the first round of the challenger series all but over, one thing is clear heading into the second round next Tuesday.
It will take polished performances from the seven other challengers to beat OneWorld and Alinghi.
Although there are still four months until the best challenger lines
up against Team New Zealand to race for the America's Cup, the first-round results show OneWorld and Alinghi have an edge over the rest.
OneWorld went into the competition with a one-point deficit after the America's Cup arbitration panel ruled they had other teams' design information, but the Seattle syndicate have been the slickest unit on the water, charging through the first round unbeaten.
Australian helmsman James Spithill, 23, has been calm and collected at the wheel, their experienced crew have performed faultlessly, and their Laurie Davidson-designed boats have proved to be among the strongest in the shifty conditions the Hauraki Gulf served up.
"There is a long way to go and in the next round it is clearly going to get closer as each team has learned a lot facing the competitors," Spithill said yesterday.
Alinghi's only loss was to OneWorld by 10s. In that race, the Swiss syndicate bungled their pre-start and were 8s behind at the start.
Many yachting experts have cited similarities between the OneWorld and Alinghi yachts and Team New Zealand's 2000 cup-winning boat, NZL60.
That comes as no surprise, considering Davidson was a key designer with Team New Zealand in 1995 and 2000, and former Team New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts, now with Alinghi, is known for his technical expertise.
Coutts said it was relatively easy for teams to change their boats and believes several would be considering it now they had an indication of where they were at compared with their opposition.
"I think you'll see some quite big changes," Coutts said. "It wouldn't surprise me if some of the teams who appear to be not so competitive now actually reverse the tables.
"If you've got a week or two of strong winds I would say you would see some very different results out there."
With OneWorld and Alinghi out in front after the first round, and more than likely to stay there, the question is who will join them in the top four.
Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW Racing are third and, while no one would disagree that with Peter Holmberg and John Cutler they have one of the most experienced crews in the game, the jury is still out on their narrow yachts which struggle in light conditions.
"There is a parameter for the wind conditions for the Louis Vuitton series and we have placed our boat where we think it is supposed to be placed and we like our odds," said Holmberg, Oracle's primary helmsman.
GBR and Team Dennis Conner are fourth equal, although Prada still have a first-round race to complete against Mascalzone Latino, which if Prada win would take them to equal on points with the Brits and Team Dennis Conner.
After a shaky start, Prada have sent their second yacht, ITA80, to the boatyard for "hull modifications." They are one of the few teams not sporting double-knuckle bows, and it will be interesting if that is still the case when the boat re-emerges in the first week of November.
Sweden's Victory Challenge started off with a hiss and a roar, beating Le Defi Areva, Team Dennis Conner and Mascalzone Latino, but soon fell victim to OneWorld, Prada, GBR, Alinghi and Oracle.
The first team to exit the competition is likely to be either Mascalzone Latino or Le Defi Areva.
The Italians came out on top when the two clashed, but the French have a reasonably fast boat and, if they brush up on their crew work, could escape early elimination.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By JULIE ASH
With the first round of the challenger series all but over, one thing is clear heading into the second round next Tuesday.
It will take polished performances from the seven other challengers to beat OneWorld and Alinghi.
Although there are still four months until the best challenger lines
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