Alinghi remain ahead

But only one point adrift of TeamOrigin on the penultimate day of the iShares Cup racing in Kiel

A continual stream of people along the promenade and pontoons along the Inner Førde at Kiel saw the iShares Cup attract its biggest ever audience for the second day of the fourth round of the circuit, with tens of thousands of visitors enjoying six races in glorious sunshine.

Racing kicked off in around 10 knots of breeze, with the gybe mark set just off the seawall so the Extreme 40s hurtled towards the crowds. Team Aqua have been on top form this regatta and got off to a great start by taking an early lead, while behind them four boats - BT, iShares, Alinghi and Tommy Hilfiger - rounded the first mark abreast. First day winners Alinghi went on to win, but it was their only one of the day - of the six races, there were five different winners, with virtually all teams experiencing some moments they'd rather forget.

Team Aqua took the second race win - which together with a second, third and fourth today saw Alister Richardson and crew climb into second place for most of Day 2. TeamOrigin pushed too hard when they attempted to tuck into second place at the top mark, and ended up touching the buoy, resulting in a penalty turn.

"We were coming in and it was either dip a load of boats or try to tack in below Aqua, and so we did that because it was the difference between coming second round the mark or potentially coming about sixth, so we snuck in below them but didn't quite lay it and just scraped the mark with our transom," reported TeamOrigin skipper Rob Greenhalgh after racing. "Unfortunately there was an umpire right there to see it!"

By the beginning of race three the racecourse was crowded with spectator boats, as Kiel sailors went afloat in everything from classic motoryachts to family dinghies to get up close to the Extreme 40 racing - with Kiel officials reporting that even more visitors came to watch today's iShares Cup racing than the America's Cup exhibition sailing which visited Kiel Sailing City in August 2006. The Extreme 40 fleet dodged the spectator boats as they sailed close enough to the seawall for the sailors to smell the candyfloss and frites at the public regatta village ashore. It was also the turn of BT to come to the fore, who became the only boat to win two races as they crossed the line first in the third and fourth races of the day (Races 9 and 10).

"A good day today," said BT skipper Nick Moloney, "We had two solid victories before getting buried pre-start in Race 5 ending in a last place. In the sixth and final race we had a third which kept our averages up for the day to make it a great day in whole.

"The foreshore seemed to be heaving with spectators and rock bands. Every time we went near the shore everyone was yelling and cheering from the shore which made for a fantastic atmosphere."

The course changed to a triangle format with a reaching start for the next two races of the day. Oman Sail and BT both reversed their fortunes, as Oman Sail took the fifth win - having been last in the previous race - while BT dropped to the back of the fleet.

Round 4 leaders Alinghi were also struggling with the new format, rounding the first mark of today's fifth race as the back marker. As the tightly-packed fleet approached the first mark under spinnaker, there were plenty of red protest flags flying and a few tempers fraying as the teams pushed hard to consolidate their positions in this penultimate regatta of the iShares Cup series, but Ed Baird and crew kept a cool head to climb steadily through the fleet to fifth.

"We started out really nicely with a couple of nice strong races and then we got tangled up in a few," explained Baird. "Especially these last two, with the reaching starts, I did a really poor job of getting the boat off the line and we had to catch up! But fortunately the guys did a great job and there were a couple of opportunities for us to gain a little bit at the end and we did, but I don't like putting us in that position."

Meanwhile, overall iShares Cup series leaders TeamOrigin were chasing hard and nailed the final start to lead all the way around, while Team Aqua's luck ran out and they finished back in ninth, letting TeamOrigin past them into second on the overall leaderboard.

So at the end of Day 2 Alinghi have held on to their overall lead in Round 4 of the iShares Cup, while TeamOrigin climbed to second and Team Aqua are currently just two points behind in third.

"We didn't have a great day yesterday and we don't feel as if we had a great day today, but we've had a better day than most people," said Rob Greenhalgh. "It's been tough racing, almost tougher than yesterday. It's snakes and ladders here.

"We went into the day six points behind Alinghi and now we're five, but we didn't have a great start to the day. And then we sorted it out and got better and better. We had a few things not go our way, we hit a mark and a couple of other things that didn't really help our cause, but you've got to just keep plugging away because it isn't easy sailing out there, it's very, very tricky, and sometimes it is just a bit of luck that puts people in the right place at the right time. You've kind of got to wait until it's your turn to have the luck, and put yourself in positions where you can gain. But we bided our time, and then you've got to be a bit punchy at times."

TeamOrigin are just one point ahead in the overall series lead, and will be fighting hard to overtake their nearest rivals Alinghi here at Kiel in tomorrow's finale, which ends with a double-point last race. "I think there's a bit more breeze tomorrow, 15 knots or maybe 20, so it could be an exciting afternoon. We've just got to get out there and do the best we can, try and get some races off Alinghi early on and then get it all teed up for the final double-pointer."

Tomorrow the winner of the fourth round of the iShares Cup will be decided with six races scheduled, starting from 1430.