After three days of weather delays, the Louis Vuitton Cup quarterfinal repechage at last got under way today - and provided enthralling racing with come-from-behind wins in both matches.
The two higher seeded teams, OneWorld and Prada, both trailed in the opening stages of their matches against Team Dennis Conner andVictory Challenge respectively.
But OneWorld and Prada justified their higher seeding by managing to come from behind and take the victory guns in the vital opening matches.
The best-of-seven repechage has a distinct life-or-death edge, because the two losing teams will exit the regatta, to leave only four challengers still in the game.
In the light north to northeasterly, all four yachts on the course had men up the mast searching for the best breeze lines on the water.
In the OneWorld vs Team Dennis Conner match, Stars & Stripes led around the first three marks, but then failed to cover on the second downwind leg as OneWorld split away and gained in a 30 degree windshift to the left.
In the second match away, Victory Challenge led the whole way up the first windward leg, but Prada came back and, right at the mark, squeezed into the lead to round the mark 8 seconds ahead, stretching away from there to a commanding lead.
Racing took place against a backdrop of on-shore activity as Team Dennis Conner has initiated a Rule Two (Fair Sailing) protest against OneWorld, over design information from rival teams and related issues.
The protest will be heard from 6pm tonight by the Louis Vuitton Cup International Jury. A similar case was jointly submitted to the Arbitration Panel by Team Dennis Conner and Prada last Sunday.
Day two of the quarterfinal repechage is scheduled to start tomorrow at 1.15pm. Race organisers have predicted similar light conditions.
