By JULIE ASH
Latin rascals Mascalzone Latino were still on cloud nine yesterday after securing their first win in the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
The colourful Italians with the motto "sail playfully but seriously" were the toast of Syndicate Row on Saturday night after their victory over Le Defi Areva, of
France, who now sit alone at the bottom of the table.
Along with Mascalzone Latino's hard-fought victory, flight nine saw GBR Challenge upset Oracle BMW Racing, Russell Coutts' Alinghi hold off a strong charge from Sweden's Victory Challenge and OneWorld comfortably beat Prada to retain their unbeaten record.
But it was Mascalzone Latino's 5m 19s win that captured everyone's attention.
Although they declared on arrival in Auckland they were not here to win the America's Cup but to learn, tears of joy flowed in the Mascalzone Latino camp when they got their first point.
'I have two sons in Italy who don't like sailing and one of them called me to say that today's race was better than a football match against Milan," skipper Vincenzo Onorato said.
"We have been working hard in the right direction, so now we can compete at a higher level."
Mascalzone Latino designer Giovanni Ceccarelli was so delighted that he leaped out of the team's chase boat into the cold Hauraki Gulf once they crossed the finish line, much to the horror of those around him.
"I made a promise to myself that if they won, I'd jump in - so I did," said Ceccarelli.
Navigator Silvio Arrivabene said the victory was a great boost.
"Now we are a little more confident and we will push hard to achieve other good results."
Arrivabene said his team could not believe the support they received when they returned to their base.
"All the people at the viaduct were clapping for us. Other teams - OneWorld, Oracle and Prada - played their horns and gave us great applause.
"Our people here at the base were spraying champagne everywhere and a few of them jumped into the water and displayed a big 'finally' [in Italian] on their T-shirts.
"It was a great moment ... I don't think I will ever forget it."
While the Italians' victory was obviously put down to great sailing, it could also have been attributed to the fact that they now know bananas are believed to bring bad luck.
The superstitious Italians were unaware having a banana on a boat is bad luck in New Zealand, but after reading about it in the Herald, banned them immediately.
Today marks the final day of the first round, with five outstanding races to complete on shortened courses.
Three of those races - GBR v Mascalzone Latino, Oracle v OneWorld and Le Defi Areva v Team Dennis Conner - were scheduled for yesterday, but a series of squalls reaching 45 knots ruled out racing.
Those races will be held today, along with Prada against Mascalzone Latino and Oracle against Victory Challenge - which means Oracle and Mascalzone Latino have to race twice.
The first will start at 10.30am and the second early afternoon.
"Because the races will be shorter [from 18.5 to 12.5 miles], it is more similar to the match-race circuit," Oracle helmsman Peter Holmberg said.
"You go punch it out, then return for a slight reprieve and a quick bite to eat, before heading back out for some more fun and action."
Today's forecast is for cool, gusty southwesterly winds from 17 to 22 knots, with gusts to 27 knots.
Races will not be held if the wind exceeds 19 knots.
If the matches are not completed today, the remaining events will be sailed on the first day of the second round on October 22.
Alinghi are the only team to have completed their eight matches - finishing with seven wins and one loss, to OneWorld.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By JULIE ASH
Latin rascals Mascalzone Latino were still on cloud nine yesterday after securing their first win in the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
The colourful Italians with the motto "sail playfully but seriously" were the toast of Syndicate Row on Saturday night after their victory over Le Defi Areva, of
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