4.30pm
The two teams competing for the America's Cup have agreed to race tomorrow, weather permitting, and the forecast is making race organisers optimistic that the much-delayed fourth race will finally take place.
Difficult weather has now prevented racing between the defenders Team New Zealand and challengers Alinghi of Switzerland for nine
days. Strong winds and heavy swells kept the yachts at their bases again today.
Alinghi lead the best-of-nine series 3-0 and could wrap the event up in just two more races.
There is some hope the weather will settle in time for racing on Saturday and Sunday, and possibly tomorrow which both teams have agreed to although it was originally set down as a rest day.
The original schedule for the America's Cup match had this Saturday as the ninth and final race day, if it were needed.
Beyond that, Sunday, Tuesday and next Thursday are set down as reserve days which automatically become race days if necessary.
Team New Zealand meteorologist Roger Badham is optimistic about the weekend but is warning that a frontal system in the Southern Ocean could postpone any racing early next week.
If racing went on beyond this weekend, the schedule would have to be redrawn, he said.
Principal race officer Harold Bennett said that although March 6 was the last officially timetabled reserve day, there was no deadline to finish the match.
"We have rights to continue if one boat hasn't won five races," he said.
But if the match were to continue beyond the current timetable a new schedule would have to be drawn up with the two teams.
Bennett was hopeful that if the match went into next week both teams would agree to racing on the official rest days of Monday and Wednesday, provided the weather was acceptable.
Today's race was called off after winds of 18 to 24 knots, gusting to 28, were forecast for the Hauraki Gulf at the official start time of 1.15pm.
That had made the chances of any racing "very marginal", Bennett said.
As it turned out, around lunchtime winds in some parts of the gulf had been gusting around 40 knots, with 1.2 metre to 1.8 metre swells.
Swells above about 1.5 metres were considered too big for the America's Cup boats, he said.
A major factor in Bennett's decision today was a request from Auckland Harbourmaster James McPetrie.
"In view of the sea state, weather conditions and forecast I recommend that we do not race today on the grounds of public safety," McPetrie said.
"In view of the contents of this communication I have no choice but to further postpone race four," Bennett said.
He was reluctant to try to predict how good the chances were of getting a race in tomorrow.
"If you think back over the past week, where we've talked about what we think is going to happen the next day, I don't know that anybody's got close to getting it right," he said.
Meteorologist Badham said the low pressure system which had caused the trouble on the gulf in the past few days was now on its way further out to sea.
The tail of the front should ensure a steady breeze for tomorrow but one that was finally suitable for sailing, Badham said.
The next three days held promise, as the wind should be in the mid-teens and the swell should be down to just under a metre.
Despite the decision to call off sailing today, Team New Zealand's race crew did go out on the gulf, taking out the team's second boat NZL81, and leaving race boat NZL82 at the base.
The Alinghi crew were given the day off.
- NZPA
Continuous coverage of America's Cup racing will begin on nzherald.co.nz at 12.30pm.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule and results
4.30pm
The two teams competing for the America's Cup have agreed to race tomorrow, weather permitting, and the forecast is making race organisers optimistic that the much-delayed fourth race will finally take place.
Difficult weather has now prevented racing between the defenders Team New Zealand and challengers Alinghi of Switzerland for nine
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