Massive shifts, big wind, breakages and a win for Shosholoza

Live reporting from the second day of Act 6 of the 32nd America's Cup

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Today's program:

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

Flight 3

Luna Rossa v United Internet - the Italian team gets a slight advantage at the line over the German team, the Italians pointing higher. Wind speed is around 15 knots, clear skies. Up the beat the Germans benefit from a big left hand shift, putting them more or less neck and neck with the Italians and on the layline to the mark. Luna Rossa luff the Germans beyond the port layline and manage to get ahead, leading the Germans into the mark round 9 seconds ahead. Due to the wind shift the run is almost a single gybe affair. Up the second beat both head for the heavily favoured left side, the Italians ahead and maintaining a loose cover. From here it is routine for James Spithill and his team, winning by 1:40.

On the south course Alinghi v +39, Alinghi get the committee boat end, but six seconds late for the line. Ian Walker has now joined Iain Percy on +39. Both boats are heading off to the left side, evenly matched. Both boats flip on to port and... +39 gets ahead! However Alinghi round the weather mark ahead and mid-way down the run they have pulled out a lead of more than 200m. On the final run Alinghi have pulled out a huge lead and the match appears to be in the bag for them. They finish 1:45 ahead.

In the Emirates Team New Zealand v Desafio Espanol match the Kiwis get a marginal advantage at the start, both boats heading left. Again the Kiwis, being the left hand boat, have benefitted from the shift and half way up the beat are now leading the Spanish by 50m. The Kiwis at first around the weather mark by 18 seconds, despite coming in on the starboard lay line and then gybe-setting. The Spanish are still in contact down the run, 70m astern. The Kiwis lead by 14 seconds at the leeward mark rounding and 35 seconds ahead at the second weather mark rounding. Emirates Team NZ are playing the second run safely, just over 100m ahead of the Spanish (Luna Rossa and Alinghi are 400m+ at this stage of their matches). They finish 33 seconds ahead.

At the start of their match the underdog K-Challenge gets the advantage on the start line over BMW Oracle Racing. Again there is a big shift to the left and this massively benefits the French who half way up the beat are enjoying a 92m lead over Larry Ellison's powerful American team. Oooh dear. At the weather mark BMW Oracle slip around just 1 second ahead. Again both boats are virtually able to lay the leeward mark. BMW Oracle lead round the leeward mark but it is very close and then both boats head off to the right side of the second beat. BMW Oracle hold a 100m lead half way up the beat. The final delta is 1:12 to the American team.

It's safe to say the left hand side is paying big time today. In the match between China Team and Mascalzone Latino, the Chinese have also benefitted from the left side (despite the weather mark having been moved) and are leading the Italians. Mascalzone followe the Chinese off to the left and once again both have benefitted from the skewed course. Half way up the beat both are now well beyond the port layline, the Italians taking over the lead. They lead at the weather mark by 12 seconds. The Italians reach the leeward mark 22 seconds ahead but China Team make a better rounding and regain some ground. The second beat Mascalzone have pulled it back, extending and rounding the top mark for the second time 58 seconds ahead. The hold their lead down the last leg to win by 1:09.

In their pre-start Team Shosholoza experience some problems handling the runners, but with Chris Law at the helm recover well getting the pin end with Victory Challenge on their hip. The South Africans are ahead! After a tacking duel, the South Africans, to the left of the Swedes, still have the advantage. Could we be on for a first South African win against the local favourites? The South Africans lead around the top mark, but the Swedes get on their wind and have achieved an overlap. Law luffs Holmberg towards the right hand side of the leeward mark and towards the spectator fleet. Both boats are way beyond the leeward mark, unfortunately in the heat of the moment the Shosholoza crew drop the spinnaker in the water. However Shosholoza manage, just to keep their advantage. Victory Challenge have a problem with their spinnaker pole and are slow to get back upwind to the leeward mark. When the Swedes eventually round the leeward mark they have lost eight boat lengths to the South Africans. Shosholoza benefits from a small left hand shift on the beat. They are 200m ahead of Victory Challenge now. At the second weather mark rounding Team Shosholoza are 30 seconds ahead. The South Africans make a good hoist. Both boats gybe. The South Africans have done it! They finish 1:20 ahead of Victory Challenge. Congratulations Shosholoza!

Act 6 leaderboard after flight 3:

Alinghi - 3
Emirates Team New Zealand - 3
Luna Rossa - 3
BMW ORACLE Racing - 3
Desafío Español 2007 - 2
Victory Challenge - 1
K-Challenge - 1
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team - 1
+39 Challenge - 0
United Internet Team Germany - 0
China Team - 0
Team Shosholoza - 1

Flight 4

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

There's been a longer than expected pause to let a big rain squall past by - wind strength has piped up to 25 knots. Exciting stuff!

K-Challenge v Alinghi. Another less than ideal start from Alinghi. K-Challenge have the left and pull out an early lead over the Swiss defender...The two boats are bouncing up the centre of the first. Despite the massive wind shift this match is continuing and the two are neck and neck heading directly at the mark on port tack well outside the port layline. Alinghi are slowly outdragging the former NZL60 and round 16 seconds ahead of the French. Alinghi lead down the first run, virtually laying the bottom mark on starboard gybe thanks to the wind shift. Alinghi nearly blow it on their final gybe when they are caught by a gust, but go on to win by 1:04.

At the moment there is a postponement on the north course (Luna Rossa v Desafio, etc)

Shosholoza v +39. Can the South Africans make it 2-0 today? Shosholoza have picked up a penalty in the pre-start. A big wind shift up the race course and the Race Committee have canned the race. Although the race has been restarted, but Team Shosholoza are under tow heading back to their base.

Racing now underway on the north course. In the pre-start Luna Rossa's James Spithill get the pin while Jablonski gets the right. It is now pouring rain. Luna Rossa immediately tacks and then has to take the Spanish boat's stern. There appears to have been a right hand shift which may explain Spithill's move. The Spanish are continuing to the left perhaps expecting the wind to shift back up the beat. Luna Rossa are back on to starboard, but Desafio is now leading by a useful 128m. This will turn into a good race... The wind has gone majorly to the left and both boats are now well beyond the port layline, but the Spanish are into much better pressure and with the shift appear to have a lead of around 350m... The Spanish lead Luna Rossa around the top mark by 44 seconds. Spanish are slow to hoist. Approaching the weather mark for the second time, the Luna Rossa crew have managed to slip ahead of the Spanish rounding ahead by 18 seconds. During a gybe the Spanish appear to have broken the end of their boom...The crew attempt to drop the kite without it touching the water. It has to be game over for the Spanish.

China Team and United Internet Team Germany are now into their start sequence the Franco-Chinese crew almost locking out Bank in the dead zone beyond the pin. The wind has dropped considerably. With 20 seconds to go both boats are on the line. The Germans are at the pin, China Team in the middle of the line are over and have to recross, serving up Bank an advantage on a plate. China Team tack off to the right. On the run the Chinese get caught by a gust, gybe, broach and get almost laid flat. This is not supposed to happen with AC boats... Usually their mast breaks or the keel comes off... By the time China Team get to the leeward mark the Germans are more than 1.5km ahead. Rounding the top mark the Germans don't bother to hoist a spinnaker intending to cruise down towards the finish.

“We were confident, perhaps too confident at that moment, that we could get past the Germans," said China Team skipper Pierre Mas later of their terrifying knock-down. "When we gybed we had 28 knots of wind and unfortunately we were not able to trim the spinnaker as we had a riding turn on the winch and we were unable to ease the sheet. It was amazing that we didn't break anything, not even the spinnaker. We had some water in the boat but not much more than usual down below. But in the forward cockpit there was a lot of water, perhaps a few tonnes.”

The Mascalzone v Emirates match is currently under postponement due to the big wind shifts. This match is now underway with both boats heading off to the left, the Kiwis heading out to the left side of the track. Half way up the middle of the beat the two boats have swapped sides. At the top mark Emirates Team NZ have pulled out a significant lead. At the bottom mark the Kiwis lead by 18 seconds. At the second weather mark rounding Emirates lead by 1:02 seconds. On Mascalzone the kite started to come out of the bag early in the brisk conditions and they were lucky that the spinnaker didn't go in the water. Mascalzone are hoisting a new kite, but by the time they are sorted out Emirates Team New Zealand have increased their lead to 750m. Mascalzone complete their penalty turn before crossing the line.

BMW Oracle Racing v Swedish Match - racing is still at the top end of the wind range - 24 -26 knots. BMW Oracle Racing is early for the line. Swedes getting boat end of the line. Both boats cross slowly on starboard heading for the port hand layline. Two thirds of the way up the beat BMW Oracle hold a 90m advantage. The American team lead around the top mark by 22 seconds. On the run BMW Oracle have a lead of 200m. After the leeward mark, BMW Oracle almost lose their jib and moment later the jib on the Swedish boat completely pulls out of its luff groove and they lose the jib. The Swedes appear to be retiring.

Results after four flights:

Alinghi - 4
Emirates Team New Zealand - 4
Luna Rossa - 4
BMW ORACLE Racing - 4
Desafío Español 2007 - 2
Victory Challenge - 1
K-Challenge - 1
Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team - 1
+39 Challenge - 1
Team Shosholoza - 1
United Internet Team Germany - 0
China Team - 0

More photos on page 2...