Let battle commence

America's Cup Act 8 gets underway in Trapani - K-Challenge beat Emirates Team NZ

Match racing in Act 8 of the America's Cup gets underway today at 12:40 local time (10:40 GMT). We will be updating this report as the action unfolds - keep the article open and PC users should press F9 to refresh the article.

Trapani lies on the northwestern corner of the Italian island of Sicily some 60km due west of Palermo. The latest GRIB files show the 5-10 knot gradient wind backing marginally over the course of the afternoon from just north of west to just south by the end of the afternoon. Other Italian weather charts are indicating that there will be 0-5 knots of wind....

The schedule of racing today is for two flights:

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

The boats in the RH column have the initial advantage of coming in from the right. Crew lists can be found on page two.

There is a postponement on the northern course for matches 1-3. Breeze is around 12-13 knots on the course for matches 4-6 (Flight 1)

United Internet Team Germany v BMW Oracle Racing

Very close, split tack start. However the Germans were over early - early and significant advantage to BMW Oracle. The American team hold a 280m lead half way up the first beat, both boats sticking to the centre of the race course. BMW Oracle have a 1:12 advantage at the top mark. Little adventure on the run, BMW Oracle rounding 1:24 at the bottom gate. All over red rover. One in the net for Larry Ellison's team.

Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team v K Challenge

The Italian team get off to a slow start at the pin end. The French team seem to be pointing higher. Both boats tack back on to port heading back to the middle of the race track. Half way up K Challenge hold a 75m lead. The boat clash swords 3/4 of the way up the beat. Mascalzone chase K-Challenge off to the starboard lay line, France have a lead of just 25m. K-Challenge hold a 10 second lead at the top mark. Both boats make a conventional rounding hoisting A sails. Humdinger of a battle going on on the run with the Italians right on K-Challenge's transom, two thirds of the way down the course after two gybes. Heading out to the port layline into the gate, the Italian tack early, the French on the lay line. At the gate K-Challenge hold a lead of just one second, but round the right mark, while the wily Italians take the left and after rounding they split tacks. Virtual TV is saying K-Challenge have gained out to the right and are now 75m ahead on third of the way up the beat. 110m half way up the beat... At the top mark (mark 3) K-Challenge round ahead by 18 seconds. They split gybes. Half way down the run the boats have gybed four times, K-Challenge comfortably ahead, Peponnet looking very calm despite having just a 70m gybe. The French get a point on the board, 13 seconds ahead of Mascalzone.

Emirates Team New Zealand v Team Shosholoza

The Kiwis are much faster out of the blocks than the South Africans. South Africans reach the line late (93m astern) and roll into a tack on to port. The Kiwis respond tacking on to port too. Like the two matches ahead of them the boats are choosing the middle of the course. Half way up the beat Emirates Team NZ hold a 130m lead. Emirates TNZ lead round the top mark with an advantage of 52 seconds and extend by four seconds down the run. Both boats head to the right and then tack back. Something of a process - Emirates Team New Zealand 1:23 ahead at the second top mark rounding and extend to 1:49 at the finish.

Alinghi v Desafio Espanol 2007

Long dial up between Baird and Jablonski. The Pole appears to have the upper hand and is quicker across the line, towards the pin, Alinghi by the boat. Both boats head off to the lead, the Spanish holding a 44m (12 seconds) over Alinghi (undefeated in match races this year). Oh, yawn, here she comes.... Alinghi 14m astern. The boats come together and bounce apart...and surprise, surprise Alinghi take the lead. Vague tacking duel going on here as the boats shift slowly to the left side of the beat. Three quarters of the way up the beat, Alinghi hold a 70m lead and they round the top mark 25 seconds ahead. Alinghi gybe soon after the rounding and head out to the right side of the run (followed by the Spanish). At the gate Alinghi head for the starboard mark, the Spanish go for the port one. The delta is a respectible 27 seconds. They split tacks, then Alinghi tack back to cover. Up the beat Alinghi end up beyond the port layline with the Spanish out to the right, the Swiss 150m ahead. At the finish Alinghi win by 50 seconds.

Luna Rossa Challenge v China Team

Both boats start close by the committee boat, Luna Rossa leading the Franco-Chinese team by about 10 seconds from the outset. Pierre Mas' crew tack straight on to port. The Chinese have a problem with their jib - a riding turning? Coming into the top mark the Italians are leading by more than 300m...At the first mark Luna Rossa are already 1:22 ahead. Not a great competition this one. Up second beat Luna Rossa have a 400m advantage holding a loose cover. They round the top mark 2:11 ahead and finish 3:45 ahead.

+39 Challenge v Victory Challenge

Strong pre-start by Percy, pushing Victory Challenge over the line. The boats split tacks, +39 heading towards the boat, the Swedes by the pin. Both boats head out to the right, the Swedish team to the left. The wind appears to have gone slightly left, benefitting the Swedes who overhaul Percy's team. Magnus Holmberg rounds the top mark 23 seconds ahead. Both make a conventional rounding. Then +39 gybe off to the right. The Swedes don't respond. At the gate the Swedes round the left mark first by 13 seconds, while +39 go for the right. Both boats split tacks, +39 heading out to the left. +39 are pulling back closing to 13m at one point. Both boats tack back to engage. Very very close. Big tacking duel taking place up the middle of this second beat, but Victory Challenge seem to be gaining in these. +39 head out to port layline but may have overstepped. Victory Challenge round the top mark 24 seconds ahead. Breeze has dropped to 6-7 knots. Both boats head off on port gybe, the Swedes ahead by 100m. A big right hand shift allows the boats to make a parabolic course down towards the finish. +39 gybe to keep the pressure on the French who have now extended to 166m and a gybing battle ensues. Two thirds of the way down the final run +39 are 200+m astern...and building. Victory Challenge win by 1:13.

Results:

BMW Oracle Racing - 1
K-Challenge - 1
Emirates Team New Zealand - 1
Alinghi - 1
Luna Rossa Challenge - 1
Victory Challenge - 1
United Internet Team Germany - 0
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team - 0
Team Shosholoza - 0
Desafío Español 2007 - 0
China Team - 0
+39 Challenge - 0


Flight 2

While Flight 1 is still to finish, the starting sequence is already underway for Flight 2

United Internet Team Germany v Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team

Germany get off to a good start by the committee boat. After a short tacking duel, both boats head off to the right and are caught by a lift and then big header. Massive shifts seem to be a feature on this course now. The Germans hold a 70m lead approaching the top mark and round 21 seconds in front. Fairly uneventful run with Jesper Bank, at the helm of the German boat, matching Mascalzone's gybe taking the two boats across to the opposite side of the race track before gybing again back to the gate. Bank heads out of the right and then straight up the starboard layline. The Italians are struggled and severely headed in the centre of the course. Coming into the mark the German team hold a lead of more than 1km... At the second weather mark rounding the Germans are a useful 4:59 minutes ahead. No chance of recovery with this margin of a lead which is increased further to a whopping 9:46 by the finish - the biggest delta in an AC match race not caused by gear failure?

K-Challenge v Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team NZ hold the advantage out of the start but the two boats go through a tacking duel up the middle of the early part of beat, slowly heading out to the left. Half way up the beat Emirates Team NZ hold a 90m advantage. Both boats then head off to the starboard layline. Three quarters of the way up the beat the Kiwis' lead hasn't changed. They round the top mark 17 seconds ahead. Huge shift on the run, demolished the Kiwi's lead and K-Challenge take the lead sailing in better pressure. Wow - K-Challenge are now 300m ahead of the Kiwis, their lead growing rapidly. Barker and his crew will have their work cut out to regain this. We have a case of the Kiwis being beaten by their 2000 generation boat... K-Challenge rounds the bottom with a 2:17 lead on the Kiwis. Both boats are playing the shifts coming up the second beat. Half way up K-Challenge still hold a 350m lead. K-Challenge gybe-sets at the top mark. The Kiwis bear away-set and show much better speed going down the left side of the run. However this is short-lived and half way down the run and at this stage their deficit is 400m. They finish 1:45 behind. Two points on the scoreboard today for Thierry Peponnet and his team. Will Dalts get on the phone to their shift-meister Ainslie?


BMW ORACLE Racing v Team Shosholoza

Both boats start eveningly - good work Shosholoza - heading out to the left side of the course, BMW Oracle closer to the boat end. Remarkably the South Africans seem to be matching BMW Oracle's speed and height. Both boats sail a long starboard tack out to the port layline and tack. At this stage BMW Oracle hold a 25m lead. On the opposite tack the boats still appear to be very evenly matched. However BMW slowly slowly extend, rounding the top mark ahead by 40 second. Despite the massive shifts on the course BMW Oracle hold it together on the run to reach the gate 1:32 ahead of Shosholoza. Both boats head out to the left up the beat. Half way up BMW Oracle are 300m ahead - but this afternoon anything can happen... But it can't. BMW Oracle finish 1:40 ahead.

China Team v Alinghi

An unusual start with Alinghi down by the pin and tacking back. However the Chinese get a massive 30 degree shift to the right off the start line and cross Alinghi 6-8 boat lengths ahead! It couldn't last. After two tacks, half way up the beat, Alinghi on the right hand side have slipped ahead. They round 32 seconds ahead. There is yet another massive shift on the run and the two boats are virtually able to lay the gate on port gybe. The wind seems to have settled down slightly here and two thirds of the way up the second beat Alinghi are 350m ahead. Alinghi bears away around the weather mark for the second time 2:31 ahead.

Victory Challenge v Desafío Español 2007

Both boats close down by the pin at the start, the Spanish slightly ahead. The Swedes tack off on port and are followed immediately by the Spanish. Two thirds of the way up the beat, the Swedes are 120m ahead on the right side of the course heading into the mark along the starboard layline. They round 45 seconds ahead. At the bottom mark the Swedes have extended and are 1:17 ahead. The weather mark has been shifted a long way to the right. Both boats are tacking in and out of the centre of the course. Victory Challenge round the weather mark for the second time 1:14 ahead. The Spanish gybe set, ahead Victory follow. There is another massive shift, this time back to the left, but Victory Challenge don't miss a beat and continue to hold a 230m lead laying the finish. Victory for Victory by 1:01.

+39 Challenge v Luna Rossa Challenge

Luna Rossa start on port at the pin end, +39 closer to the boat, hoping to get the right shift. Both boats tack, Luna Rossa just slightly ahead, +39 close by to starboard of them. Luna Rossa out-drag +39 and approaching the top mark have extended their lead to 90m, rounding 36 seconds ahead. The run is still heavily port tack biased. +39 are not flying a staysail - possibly a disadvantage. Luna Rossa gybe around the port mark of the gate while +39 have a longer run from the left side of the run towards the starboard mark rounding 1:32 after their compatriots. +39 lose ground further on the following beat rounding 2:59 after Luna Rossa. With the shift back to the left both boats are laying the finish. Luna Rossa get their second point of their day beating +39 by 1:47.

Results after flight 2:

Alinghi - 2
BMW Oracle Racing - 2
Luna Rossa Challenge - 2
K-Challenge - 2
Victory Challenge - 2
United Internet Team Germany - 1
Emirates Team New Zealand - 1
Desafío Español 2007 - 0
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team - 0
Team Shosholoza - 0
China Team - 0
+39 Challenge - 0