America's Cup - Act 9

Fleet racing in Trapani - follow our UPDATED REPORT

11:44 BST Racing is currently under postponement due to light shifting winds. No racing is anticipated before 1400 local time (1200GMT).

Today two fleet races are planned.

At present there is a very shallow depression centred to the northwest of Sicily.

The wind has built and the start is now underway. +39 hit the pin on the button. Alinghi is in the middle of the line. K-Challenge are over and are tryig to get back. BMW Oracle tack off on to port, everyone else is head off to the left. Victory Challenge, China Team and Team Shosholoza are also heading right. The group out to the left is tightly grouped and includes +39, Mascalzone, Luna Rossa, Alinghi, Emirates, Desafio.

However a report from up the course suggests there is a major right hand shift up the course. This will particularly benefit BMW Oracle.

The boats out to the left look like they're being knocked. +39 tack and are going to pass behind Mascalzone. Mascalzone tack too. Emirates Team New Zealand are in clear air in the middle of the course heading right. Alinghi, three in from the left is currently leading. BMW Oracle have taken the lead, still heading for the starboard layline, followed by Alinghi. All the boats out to the right have tacked back on to starboard. They have more separation between them and should be in cleaner air.

Two thirds of the way up the beat, the right side appears to be winning. But +39 and Alinghi are on the left and there may be more pressure coming in on the left. At present Victory Challenge, in the middle of the course on starboard, are leading followed by Emirates Team NZ.

Victory Challenge have tacked back on to port ahead of the group coming in from the left. The Swedes are showing some of the same form they had during the fleet racing in Valencia. Victory Challenge get on to the starboard lay-line and tack. BMW Oracle and Team Shosholoza are following them up the starboard lay line. Emirates and Alinghi have squeezed behind BMW Oracle.

Victory Challenge round first, followed by BMW Oracle, Emirates, Alinghi and Shosholoza. They are followed by +39, China Team. The Swedes lead by three boat lengths (22 seconds), however they have had a problem with hoist - the kite has gone in the water. They drop down and down... They must be furious. BMW Oracle take the lead. Luna Rossa and the Spanish gybe away to the left of the run. +39 and Shosholoza gybe too. BMW Oracle have peeled to an asymmetric kite, like everyone else. The breeze is 12-13 knots.

Three clear groups of boats - the leaders out to the right of the run, +39, the Spanish and China Team in the middle, the Spanish furthest left with Luna Rossa who have just gybed back into the centre.

Out to the left Alinghi are the first to gybe. Alinghi and the Germans are now further out to the right of the run. +39 are continuing out to the left with Shosholoza right behind them. Emirates Team NZ and BMW Oracle are now neck and neck. +39 and Shosholoza are approaching from the port layline coming into the leeward gate. It looks like they'll be fifth and sixth at the gate. BMW Oracle have pulled ahead again. Dickson is heading for the port hand gate mark (looking at it from the run). Alinghi follow but +39 have got the inside overlap there. +39 stall and are overtaken by Shosholoza. Emirates and the German take the starboard hand mark and head off to the left of the beat.

Leeward gate roundings:
1. BMW Oracle
2. Emirates Team NZ
3. Alinghi
4. +39
5. United Internet Team Germany
6. Team Shosholoza
7. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team
8. Desafio Espagnol
9. Luna Rossa
10. China Team
11. Victory Challenge
12. K-Challenge

BMW Oracle have tacked back into the middle still leading. Emirates tack in from the left side. Alinghi are still out to the right, leading the pack there. The wind has built to 16-17 knots up the course. Emirates cross astern of BMW Oracle, Dickson tacks right on top of them. United Internet are now further out to the left. Alinghi come in from starboard. There is a three-way race happening between the three big heavyweights. BMW Oracle continues to tack ahead of Emirates Team NZ.

Luna Rossa are taking a flier out to the right. Victory Challenge and the Spanish and +39 and Shosholoza are out to the left. +39 are ahead of this group

BMW still leading heading out to the right with Emirates Team NZ out to the right 300m astern of them and Alinghi further right. The left hand side of the course, once again is looking much more crowded. BMW Oracle hit the starboard layline. Emirates is also on this layline followed by Alinghi. BMW Oracle round the top mark and head off to the spreader mark which they round before anyone else reaches the weather mark. Emirates Team NZ round 47 seconds after BMW, 12 seconds ahead of +39, Shosholoza come in on port finding a gap, followed by the Germans who forced Shosholoza up, and then followed by Alinghi, who have reall been hammered at this mark rounding. Luna Rossa lose their spinnaker. Victory Challenge are having trouble hoisting. The spinnaker has torn on +39. Part of the fun is being caused by gusts at the weather mark.

At present no one has gybed off. The wind has shifted left making this the favoured gybe. +39 have got a problem and still haven't got a kite up. Luna Rossa is in the same predicament. +39 have got their kite hoisted now, but now Mascalzone's kite has split. Not a good day for Italian spinnakers. The wind has built here to 25 knot and it is getting really gusty. In the gust the mast is inverting on BMW Oracle. BMW Oracle and Emiratees Team New Zealand are clearly holding first and second...but behind. Everyone is peeling to smaller kites. The boats are flying....

BMW Oracle win. Behind Alinghi have pulled up to third despite the terrible weather mark rounding. They have overtaken United Internet Team Germany.

Results:

1. BMW Oracle
2. Emirates Team New Zealand +0.45
3. Alinghi 1:32
4. United Internet Team Germany 1:36
5. Team Shosholoza 1:50
6. Desafio Espanol 1:57
7. K Challenge 2:09
8. +39 2:14
9. China Team 2:21
10. Victory Challenge 2:50
11. Luna Rossa 3:55
12. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team 4:11

With 25 knot winds blowing and the rain coming in it seems unlikely there will another race unless the wind drops.


Race two

K-Challenge have had trouble with the mainsail have been late entering the start box. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team were over early. Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand got trapped at the start. United Internet is currently leading out to the right with the Spanish and +39. Out to the left are Shosholoza, BMW Oracle Racing, then Alinghi and Luna Rossa. Emirates Team New Zealand and Victory Challenge are now in the middle of the course.

K-Challenge have taken their sails down. It is believed that they might have an injured crewman.

Conditions are breezy, grey and overcast. More winter series than Trapani.

Luna Rossa have pulled ahead of BMW Oracle who are off their port quarter, both boats further left. Alinghi is also to the left with Victory Challenge behind. In the middle are Emirates and Shosholoza both on port heading out to the right hand layline. Shosholoza pass ahead of the Germans and +39. Luna Rossa is forged in from the left, just inside the port layline with BMW Oracle following and Alinghi to starboard of them. Emirates have hit the starboard layline.

Luna Rossa round first followed by Alinghi (+0:11), BMW Oracle Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand - the big four around first. They are followed by Shosholoza, United Internet, +39, +39, China Team, Desafio Espagnol, Victory Challenge,

Victory Challenge have a horrible weather mark rounding unable to come in from the port side and they are completely stalled. They are repeatedly rolled and are now in last place. Perhaps they have hooked the mark? We have learned that Victory Challenge hit the windward mark and got a penalty for this. In the course of extricating themselves they tacked on to port and fouled Mascalzone who were coming in on starboard. As a result the Swedes have had to sail out of the area of the windward mark to carry out both their penalties immediately.

The run is turning out to be something of a procession - with most boats having gybed. Luna Rossa leading BMW Oracle, still. Alinghi have stayed to the right of the run. Luna Rossa reaches the port layline into the mark with BMW Oracle on their starboard side. Alinghi are coming through from the right side of the run. Alinghi hold their kite for longer and lead Luna Rossa (0:12) around the port leeward gate mark while BMW Oracle (0:21) round the unfavoured starboard mark (from the perspective looking down the run) and are followed by Emirates Team NZ (1:05). They is a big gap until fifth placed Shosholoza (1:54) and then there is another big gap until sixth placed United Internet (2:50). +39 and Spain round the right and left hand marks together.

Alinghi heads up the right side, BMW the left and both tack in. Luna Rossa are continuing out to the right, while Emirates is the most extreme left of the four leaders. Alinghi crosses ahead of BMW Oracle. A left hand shift benefits Emirates Team NZ and Shosholoza who are behind them. Emirates take the lead...and then lose it again when the wind shifts back.

Alinghi have crossed ahead of BMW Oracle. BMW Oracle heading for the starboard layline with Alinghi. Mascalzone and Victory Challenge have hit the right hand side hard.
Alinghi round the top mark 40 seconds ahead of BMW Oracle Racing, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand (1:39), Luna Rossa (1;59), Shosholoza (2:40). Spanish on starboard short of the starboard layline and head across forcing the Germans to duck their stern. Desafio tack and the Germans luff them, they don't responsd and pick up a penalty. They round 3:57 and 4:08 behind Alinghi respectively.

Alinghi, Luna Rossa and BMW Oracle gybe. Breeze is slowly dropping. It is around 10 knots now. There's been a shift to the right, hence all the boats have now gybed. It's a drag race to the finish now. Alinghi and BMW Oracle should be able to lay the finish line now.

Finish order:

1. Alinghi
2. BMW Oracle Racing 0:17
3. Emirates Team New Zealand 1:13
4. Luna Rossa 2:07
5. Team Shosholoza 2:51
6. Desafio Espanol 3:59
7. United Internet Team Germany 4:14
8. +39 4:21
9. China Team 4:27
10. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team
11. Victory Challenge
12. K-Challenge (abandoned)