Racing postponed for the day

3.00pm

Strong winds forced the postponement of Saturday's racing in the America's Cup yachting challenger series on the Hauraki Gulf.

Races scheduled for Saturday in round robin two will be staged on Sunday.

That will see Prada (Italy) against Le Defi (France), Alinghi (Switzerland) aganist Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Stars and Stripes (United States) against Victory Challenge (Sweden) and Wight Lightning (Britain) against OneWorld (US).

Boats were sent out Saturday in the hope the wind would decrease.

Rules for the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series prevent races being started if the five-minute moving average true wind speed climbs above 19 knots.

Wind speeds being recorded on the gulf Saturday afternoon rarely dropped below 24 knots and were blowing above 30 knots at times.

- NZPA