Trapani - day four

Action from the America's Cup race course in Sicily - UPDATED REPORT

The mid-way point of Act 8 of the 32nd America's Cup in Trapani and Alinghi inevitably are dominating proceedings. We'll be reporting once again on the action as it unfolds - click F5 if you're using Internet Explorer to refresh this page.

After the exceptional racing between BMW Oracle and Emirates Team New Zealand yesterday so unfortunately there are no heavyweight bouts today. However the matches to watch will be +39 v K-Challenge in Flight 6 and Mascalzone Latino v Desafio Espanol in Flight 7.

Flight 6
Match 1	BMW ORACLE Racing	v	China Team
Match 2	Emirates Team New Zealand	v	Victory Challenge
Match 3	+39 Challenge	v	K-Challenge
Match 4	United Internet Team Germany	v	Luna Rossa Challenge
Match 5	Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team	v	Alinghi
Match 6	Team Shosholoza	v	Desafío Español 2007
Flight 7
Match 1	Luna Rossa Challenge	v	Team Shosholoza
Match 2	Alinghi	v	United Internet Team Germany
Match 3	Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team	v	Desafío Español 2007
Match 4	Victory Challenge	v	BMW ORACLE Racing
Match 5	+39 Challenge	v	Emirates Team New Zealand
Match 6	K-Challenge	v	China Team

Racing is due to comment at 12:30 (10:30GMT). Racing is expected to be lighter today, around 14 knots.

BMW ORACLE Racing v China Team

Split tack start, even stephens going across the line. Both boats head out to the right BMW Oracle inevitably pulling ahead and up to weather. Half way up the beat they are 75m ahead. Tacking match half way up the course heading towards the starboard layline, BMW Oracle 115m ahead. Dickson's team rounds the top mark ahead by 27 seconds. Both bear away set. Shift to the left BMW hold a 325m lead three quarters of the way down the run, they round the port mark of the gate, 1:15 ahead. China Team have picked up a penalty for losing a man overboard during th spinnaker drop at the leeward mark. BMW Oracle win by 3:22, the Chinese still with a penalty turn on them.

Emirates Team New Zealand v Victory Challenge

Both boats head off the line on starboard. Emirates Team New Zealand take an early advantage ahead and to leeward edging away at around 1m per second, but Victory Challenge seem to be pointing a tad higher. Both boats tack back heading out to the right. Half way up the Kiwis are holding a 110m lead, they round the top mark 34 seconds ahead and extend to 59 seconds at the leeward gate and up to 1:21 at the second weather mark rounding. The Kiwis win by 1:30.

United Internet Team Germany v Luna Rossa Challenge

Luna Rossa has picked up a penalty in the pre-start. The Germans got a leeward overlap and there was contact between the two boats as Luna Rossa struggled to get out of the way. Both boats are heading out to the left, the Germans slightly ahead and to leeward. This is closer than might have been expected... Both boats head across to the port layline. Luna Rossa seem to be pointing higher. Slight shift to the right. Luna Rossa tack just short of the lay line, K-Challenge continue on to it. Bit of a tacking match going on. 50m lead to Luna Rossa, who round the top mark 39 seconds ahead of the Germans. The Italians are pulling away, 250m ahead three quarters of the way down the run. Luna Rossa rounds the right hand mark at the leeward gate. Luna Rossa take their penalty up the beat, allowing the Germans to close. There is a tacking battle up the middle of the course Luna Rossa 110m ahead still. Luna Rossa continue to lead, rounding the top mark for the second time 38 seconds ahead. Luna Rossa heads off to the right, the Germans gybe away. Luna Rossa don't follow. Half way down the run, Luna Rossa are on the right of the run, German on the left and seem to be in better pressure...they're catching. Luna Rossa are now 140m ahead and this separation has stabilised. United Internet gybe. However not enough, Luna Rossa win by 41 seconds.

+39 Challenge v K-Challenge

Both boats start on starboard down towards the pin, K-Challenge with the slight advantage. +39 peel away on to port. K-Challenge tack over too, holding a 30m advantage. Tacking match up the middle, +39 on the left side of the course. K-Challenge gybe off to the right side of the run. +39 don't follow, but are in contention 50m astern - why are they not engaging? Both gybe and here we go... Half way down the run +39 are in the French team's wake. Both gybe simultaneously. Soon after gybe, just short of the leeward gate, K-Challenge's spinnaker rips! They have hoisted the jib and are trying to luff +39. K-Challenge just roll over them. Now +39 have lost their spinnaker in the water. They're dragging it. K-Challenge have now dropped their jib and are bareheaded for some reason. +39 blow their spinnaker which is picked up by their chase boat. K-Challenge round the starboard gate mark ahead and power off to the left side. +39 still seem to have the spinnaker wrapped around their keel/rudder. They round 51 seconds astern of the French. It's all over for +39 - up the beat they are 800+m behind. K-Challenge win by 3 minutes 2 seconds.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team v Alinghi

Alinghi first off the line, both boats heading off to the right hand side, the Italians to leeward, Alinghi pointing higher and sailing slightly faster. The Swiss defenders lead by 33 seconds at the top mark. Both continue off to the left of the run. The Italians pick up some ground on the run rounding 29 seconds behind Alinghi. Slight shift to the right. Alinghi extend greatly up the second beat rounding 1:21 ahead of the Italians. Comfortable win for Alinghi by 1:48.

Team Shosholoza v Desafío Español 2007

The South Africans get the upper hand in the pre-start and lead Karol Jablonski's Spanish team off the line. A long drag race off to the left hand side sees the Spanish slowly pulling ahead, by 40m just over half way up the course. Both boats tack on the layline, the Spanish still slowly extending. The Spanish round the top mark 20 seconds ahead but the South Africans hang in there and regain three seconds on the run. On the second beat Team Shosholoza key into more breeze and draw level. The Spanish round 8 seconds ahead. On the run the South Africans are trying to roll past the Spanish... The Spanish are just managing to fend them off. Both boats gybe - Shosholoza is showing better speed. Both gybe back, but in fact the South Africans dummy gybe. The South Africans are heading over to the left side of the run, where there may be more breeze. The South Africans gybe back on to starboard, both boats now on the same tack. The South Africans have made a loss through this manoeuvre. The Spanish gybe back and the South Africans are closing again and look set to get on the Spanish team's wind again. Spain leads by 100m at this stage two thirds of the way down the run. The South Africans are right on Desafio's air, but they don't seem to be gaining. The Spanish may be able to lay the pin end of the finish line. Shosholoza won't make the pin and gybe across on to port. Desafio gybe, Shosholoza gybe back. The Spanish hang on and lead Team Shosholoza over the line 26 seconds ahead.

Results after flight 6

Alinghi - 6
BMW Oracle Racing - 5
Emirates Team New Zealand - 5
Luna Rossa Challenge - 5
K-Challenge - 4
Victory Challenge - 3
Desafío Español 2007 - 2
Team Shosholoza - 2
+39 Challenge - 1
Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team 1
China Team - 1
United Internet Team Germany- 1


Flight 7

Racing is postponed on the course where Luna Rossa and Team Shosholoza, etc. are racing.

Victory Challenge v BMW Oracle Racing

Victory Challenge get the better of the start, starting 20m ahead, heading off to the right, BMW Oracle at the pin. Half way up the beat the US team are holding a 60m lead. BMW round the top mark 19 seconds ahead. The wind has shifted greatly to the left and both boats have gybed and are more or less laying the leeward gate. BMW round the right mark at the gate with just a 22 seconds lead over Victory, 3 seconds more than at the weather mark. Surprisingly close on the beat, just 90m apart. BMW round the top mark 21 seconds ahead. This could be quite close on the run... The Americans are comfortably holding on to their lead. The Swedes get on BMW Oracle's air and close the separation to just 72m. Victory gybe away - they must see better pressure out to the right side of the run. There is enough runway left... But no, BMW win by 19 seconds - closer than they would have liked.

+39 v Emirates Team New Zealand

The Kiwis are first to cross the line and both boats head out to the left side of the course, Team New Zealand to weather. There is a major tacking battle up off to the left side of the course, the Kiwis holding the right and with an advantage of just 35m. Emirates round the top mark with an 18 seconds advantage. Emirates gybe set, +39 gybe soon after hoisting. There is a small tear in the bottom of the Emirates Team NZ spinnaker. They have peeled. Drag race down the course otherwise. +39 trail by 110m half way down and are 42 seconds behind at the leeward mark. Emirates put their foot down on the beat holding the left to +39. Another major tacking fest up the best with the wind still shifted left. Three quarters of the way up the beat +39 have closed to 60m. Emirates lead +39 round the mark 30 seconds ahead. +39 are unable to make up the ground and Emirates pick up their fifth point.

K-Challenge v China Team

Both boats head off to the favoured left hand side of the course, K-Challenge to weather. Both tack at the layline and half way up the beat the French are leading by 110m. They round the top mark 37 seconds ahead and extend down the run. China Team is 49 seconds behind as they both round the starboard gate mark. Both boats head out to the left for the second beat. All a bit processional this with the wind shifted so far left. K-Challenge win by 1:18.

Luna Rossa Challenge v Team Shosholoza

The South Africans do well to remain in contention up the beat rounding 37 seconds astern of the Italians. Half way down the run, the South Africans gybe away 167m astern. Luna Rossa maintain their course out to the left. The breeze has shifted right on this course. The two boats cross on the run. Team Shosholoza are respectibly close, but are really never in contention. Luna Rossa win by 52 seconds.

Alinghi v United Internet Team Germany

After a relatively even start, both boats head off on starboard, with the Germans to weather. But soon after starting Alinghi suffer problems with their main halyard. A crewman shoots up the mast, they have got another halyard back on and gradually getting back up to speed again. There's been a big shift to the right. Could this be Alinghi's first match racing loss this year? Alinghi have done incredibly well to recover from this incident. The Germans at the worst of this incident were more than a minute ahead, but the Swiss have put the turbo booster on. They round just 13 seconds behind! Unbelievable recovery. At the start of the beat, the Germans have a major tear in their spinnaker. This will be the opportunity for Alinghi to nail them. Alinghi overtake. Business as normal... The Swiss lead around the leeward gate by 36 seconds. Upwind the Swiss team extend rounding the top mark 2:16 ahead of the Germans.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team v Desafio Espanol 2007.

Mascalzone have picked up a penalty in the pre-start following a port-starboard incident. Massive tacking duel up the first beat, the Spanish just ahead on the right, benefitting from the shift to the right. The Spanish lead around the top mark 14 seconds ahead. On the run Mascalzone roll the Spanish. There's been a big shift to the right. The Italian team haven't managed to fully roll the Spanish who continue to be overlapped. They round the leeward mark just 8 seconds apart! Up the beat the Italians have pulled out a small lead, but is it big enough to get ride of their penalty? At the second top mark rounding the Italians lead by 20 seconds - at present this isn't enough to get rid of their penalty. Mascalzone have extended to 109m, following both boats gybing Mascalzone is 135m ahead... The Spanish are now on Mascalzone's wind and have close to 80m, 50m... Bit of a gybing match off to the left of the run. 41m... Umpire/rules guru John Standley reckons the Italians want to plant a penalty on the Spanish. The Spanish are trying to roll past Mascalzone. They are neck and neck... Mon Dieu. Wow the Italians luff hard to no avail, but they have completely blown it. The Spanish are 30m ahead far enough for them to gybe. Mascalzone are now completely on the Spaniard's air. But not enough, the Spanish finish first and the Italians still have a penalty to lose. All over red rover. Much Polish vodka for Desafol Espanol's Karol Jablonski tonight. Mascalzone finish 1:09 late.

Results after flight 7

Alinghi - 7
BMW Oracle Racing - 6
Emirates Team New Zealand - 6
Luna Rossa Challenge - 6
K-Challenge - 5
Victory Challenge - 3
Desafío Español 2007 - 3
Team Shosholoza - 2
United Internet Team Germany- 1
+39 Challenge - 1
China Team - 1
Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team 1