3.30pm
After losing two race days due to light and shifty conditions, America's Cup yachting officials are trying to be more optimistic about the chances for tomorrow despite forecasts for light winds to continue on the Hauraki Gulf.
Principal race officer Harold Bennett announced around 12.20pm today that race four in
the best-of-nine series had been postponed until tomorrow.
Earlier he had told the teams to stay at their bases beyond the usual race departure time of 9.30am.
The challenging Swiss Alinghi team lead the contest 3-0, needing just two more wins to take the prestigious yachting trophy off defenders Team New Zealand.
"After consultation with both weather teams from Alinghi and Team New Zealand and the respective boat representatives, we regret that conditions will not provide a window for us to have good racing today," Bennett said at 12.20pm.
"There's actually 1.9 knots here at the moment from about 120 (degrees), and all around me is just absolutely flat.
"The boys on the weather teams don't see anything late in the day. The cloud is still over the top of the country and we're not getting any movement with the breeze," he said.
"We're a little more hopeful about tomorrow. That's looking a little better. So we just have to wait for that day to dawn and take that as it comes as well."
About 10 minutes before his announcement several of the New Zealand crew accompanied by other members of the syndicate had set off in the team's tender to acknowledge the thousands of fans crowding the sides of the Viaduct Harbour and waiting in boats just outside the harbour entrance.
Team New Zealand mainsheet trimmer Tony Rae said the crowd support "just blows me away everyday".
"The support has just built up and built up right from the start," he said.
"Obviously today's a disappointment because there's no racing, there's not enough wind out there. But as you can see the crowds just keep pouring in, just loving the scene.
"You can't ask for more support than this," Rae said.
"They're coming from far and wide...It looks like everyone's having a lot of fun.
"The team thought it was a good idea to throw everyone on the tender and come out and just give all the supporters a wave and sort of saying, 'thank you really for coming back and supporting us another day'," he said.
And Rae revealed that despite the intense competition on the water, friendly relations remain between at least some of the members of the competing teams.
"We motored out and I got a call from (New Zealander) Dean Phipps who is a bowman on Alinghi," Rae said.
"He said, 'do you realise you haven't got the race boat behind you. You forgot to tie it on'."
Team New Zealand's gesture was appreciated by many in the crowd, with fans cheering and waving and blowing horns.
"It was the best thing they could do," said Aucklander Gail Taylor, who regularly watches the boats departing for their races.
Mark Keaney who came to Auckland from Rotorua for a wedding yesterday said the appearance of the Team New Zealand members was what the fans wanted to see.
"I just wanted to get involved in all the hype," he said, and he was remaining optimistic despite the scoreline so far.
"I think they (Team New Zealand) have still got a chance. The next race is the key."
With racing days now having been lost today and on Thursday, officials said they would decide by 3pm tomorrow whether racing would be scheduled for Monday, which has been set aside as a rest day.
Alinghi spokesman Bernard Schopfer confirmed his team accepted the forecast for today was "not promising at all".
It was a different case from Thursday, he said.
Then Team New Zealand decided they did not want racing to start after 3.30pm, when the go-ahead is needed from both teams for a start to be made.
Alinghi appear to have been aggrieved that after making that decision, the defenders stayed out on the Hauraki Gulf with their two boats.
"When you have a race that's cancelled and a team stays out training in very good conditions, you can raise some questions," Schopfer said.
But Team New Zealand spokesman Murray Taylor said his team's two boats had a frustrating time on Thursday afternoon.
"We weren't able to race. It was impossible with the conditions so flukey," he said.
- NZPA
Continuous coverage of tomorrow's America's Cup race will begin on nzherald.co.nz at 12.30pm.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule and results
3.30pm
After losing two race days due to light and shifty conditions, America's Cup yachting officials are trying to be more optimistic about the chances for tomorrow despite forecasts for light winds to continue on the Hauraki Gulf.
Principal race officer Harold Bennett announced around 12.20pm today that race four in
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