NZL84 Finishes Top Challenger

by Warren Douglas, Emirates Team NZ on 8 Apr 2007 Emirates Team New Zealand finished the Act 13 fleet racing regatta as top challenger, ahead of big rivals BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa.

NZL 84 finished with 64 points, taking the maximum four bonus points into the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series which starts on April 16.

'We finished on top of the challengers’ leader board for Act 13 and top challenger over the past three years,' Grant Dalton said.

'The aims at the start of the regatta were to get the four bonus points and to rotate crew positions so that everyone in the sailing team is match ready for April 16.

We have had a great result and this gives us encouragement for the racing ahead.'

He said: 'One thing we have learned during this regatta is just how good Alinghi is. Their hardware is very fast and as we’ve seen over the past few days they can get themselves out of trouble with apparent ease.'

NZL 84 did not have a happy final race which started in a north-east breeze of 11 – 13 knots.

After being boxed in at the pre-start and then unable to tack away immediately to get clear air, Ben Ainslie and crew set about the painstaking business of recovering.

At the top mark they were up to sixth and preparing to attack on the run.

NZL 84 was then caught in a melee when ESP 97, doing a 360deg penalty turn for failing to keep clear on the approach to the top mark, fouled both FRA 93 and NZL 84 as they completed it. The Spanish were immediately penalised again.

The melee cost NZL 84 another place in the fleet and the chase was on and the climb up the fleet started again. They recovered again and were able to hold on to sixth despite a rip in the gennaker on the final run.

Sixth may have been disappointing on the day, but it was enough to give them seven points and retain the top challenger title.

Mascalzone Latino was second overall on 63 points, Luna Rossa was third and BMW Oracle fourth.

Race 6 started in a north-east breeze of about 10 knots.

Shosholoza was over at the start and in the process caused some interference to both NZL 84 and USA 87. NZL 84 took the pin end of the course and were immediately in a drag race on starboard with USA 87.

When USA 87 broke off the race, NZL 84 kept to the left of the course and benefited from a shift to the left and were soon afterwards punished by a shift to the right.

With most of the fleet on the right of the course, NZL 84 could have been in trouble but boat speed got them round the top mark in third place, trailing ESP 97 by 42 seconds. SUI 91 rounded in second place 21sec adrift.

Both NZL 84 and SUI 91 attacked on the run, NZL 84 taking the right and SUI 91 the left, with Spain taking the centre of the course. But there were no passing lanes to be found and the run ended as it started with ESP 97 rounding 25sec ahead of SUI 91 and NZL 84 50sec behind.

In the second beat and the run to the finish NZL 84 and SUI 91 attacked and attacked again but the passing lanes proved to be as elusive as they had been on the first run.

Both BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa had a less than happy race with USA 87 finishing sixth and Luna Rossa eighth.

Today’s sailing crew on NZL 84

Helmsman: Ben Ainslie (GBR)
Tactician: Terry Hutchinson (USA)
Navigator: Kevin Hall (USA)
Strategist: Ray Davies (NZL)
Traveller: Mark Mendelblatt (USA)
Mainsheet trimmer: Chris Salthouse (NZL)
Trimmer upwind: Grant Loretz (NZL)
Trimmer downwind: James Dagg (NZL)
Grinder: Rob Waddell (NZL)
Grinder: Jono Macbeth (NZL)
Main grinder: Winston Macfarlane (NZL)
Pit: Barry McKay (NZL)
Runner/pit: Tony Rae (NZL)
Floater: Grant Dalton (NZL)
Mast: Matt Mason (NZL)
Mid-bow: Richard Meacham (NZL)
Bow: Stu Bettany (NZL)


Today’s results

Race 5:

1 ESP 97 1hr 20min 1sec.
2 SUI 91 +7s
3 NZL 84 +1m 1s
4 SWE 97 + 1m 42s
5 ITA 99 +1m 54s
6 USA 87 + 2m 5s
7 RSA 83 + 2m 22s
8 ITA 94 + 33m 8s
9 GER 89 +3m 20s
10 FRA 93 +3m 58s
11 CHN 95 +5m 11s


Race 6:

1 SUI 91 1hr 12m 46s
2 USA 87 +0m 39s
3 ITA 99 +1m 21s
4 ITA 94 +1m 32s
5 FRA 93 +1m 54s
6 NZL 84 +2m 15s
7 ESP 97 +2m 43s
8 SWE 96 +2m 47s
9 RSA 83 +3m 09s
10 GER 89 +3m 17s
11 CHN 95 +3m 27s