Remember: Don't dream it's over

By JULIE ASH

Hold your breath, New Zealand: the America's Cup could by winging its way to Switzerland as early as Monday.

Russell Coutts and the Swiss syndicate, Alinghi, could have the America's Cup in their hot hands as early as tomorrow afternoon.

Up 3-0 against Team New Zealand, Alinghi need just two more wins to succeed in the first-to-five series which they could secure over the weekend. Races are scheduled for today and tomorrow.

However, Alinghi tactician Brad Butterworth said his team were not looking too far ahead. The policy remains one race at a time. "It just takes little mistakes to lose races," Butterworth said.

"We don't count our chickens. It's going to be tough, the racing, and we're just looking at it from day to day."

If Alinghi were to succeed, the six former Team New Zealand members aboard - Coutts, Butterworth, Dean Phipps, Murray Jones, Warwick Fleury and Simon Daubney - would celebrate their third consecutive cup win.

While Butterworth, as tactician, has been credited with much of Alinghi's success, he said there were plenty of others on the boat contributing to the decision-making.

"The thing is, we have a pretty strong group at the back of our boat.

"There's a lot of people adding to the decision-making process."

He cited the likes of Fleury and Jones and triple German Olympic gold medallist Jochen Schuemann.

Syndicate chief Ernesto Bertarelli "helps out a lot and Russell is sailing incredibly well, so I couldn't pin it to any one person".

Race four was abandoned on Thursday and the Alinghi crew were given the day off yesterday - a layday.

At Team New Zealand, the crew spent the morning doing maintenance before taking the afternoon off.

The syndicate announced on Thursday that former world matchracing champion Bertrand Pace of France would be calling tactics for skipper Dean Barker after the sailing crew decided to make a change to their afterguard.

Pace, now in his fifth cup campaign, is generally regarded as a helmsman, but he has sailed as a tactician - both in Louis Vuitton Cup regattas and on board Team New Zealand's Black Boats in the build-up to this regatta.

Team New Zealand head Tom Schnackenberg said 41-year-old Pace would bring his huge sailing experience to the NZL82 race crew.

"He has been sailing in the team solidly, driving the opposing boat to Dean," Schnackenberg said. "But he has also been a tactician inside our team, with Cameron [Appleton] steering. They formed a very powerful combination."

Pace replaces Hamish Pepper, who was tactician in the first three races of the series.

"The team has been sailing very, very well," Schnackenberg said.

"When we look at things we could do better, there is very, very little that we have to change - except the outcome."

With the boats so even in speed, the races are going to come down to who positions their boat in the best spot on the course.

Pace's experience and aggressiveness could make all the difference to Team Zealand.

But whether those factors will be enough to help them peg back the depressing scoreline is now the question.

Race organisers have predicted 12-15 knot winds today and light conditions for tomorrow.

Racing is scheduled to get under way on both days at 1.15pm. The teams leave the Viaduct Harbour about 10am.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

Racing schedule and results