First scores on board

Alinghi wins and OneWorld moves from minus-one to zero

ONEWORLD (USA-67) BEAT LUNA ROSSA (ITA-74)– DELTA 00:48
OneWorld leads semi-finals over Luna Rossa by 1-0*

OneWorld came out for the Semi Final swinging, determined to put its legal problems behind it, but it was Prada’s Rod Davis who looked strong in the pre-start. Davis eventually pushed OneWorld helmsman James Spithill out above the Committee Boat layline, forcing the American boat to start five-seconds late. But OneWorld was on the favoured right-hand side, and it didn’t take long before the American boat had neutralised Prada’s early advantage.

Prada skipper Francesco de Angelis kept coming back, trying to cross to the right hand side of the course, but Spithill protected, always forcing Prada back to the left. After 21 tacks, OneWorld carried a 10-second lead around the first windward mark. Prada demonstrated great speed on the first run, initially closing up right behind OneWorld before gybing first and gaining separation. When OneWorld gybed and then luffed to protect its lead, the Italians were able to roll over the American boat to gain a slender lead around the bottom mark. But immediately after rounding the mark, OneWorld was able to force Prada to tack away and made a nice gain on the left.

The first time the boats converged, OneWorld wasn’t quite able to cross, but the next time the American’s passed slightly ahead and switched sides, carrying that slender advantage around the windward mark. On the second run, Prada again showed good pace, eventually passing OneWorld. But nearing the bottom mark, it was OneWorld’s turn to attack.

As Prada luffed, the spinnaker pole broke. Prada then saw its spinnaker break. OneWorld went on to lead around the bottom mark and extended the rest of the way. There was an anxious moment when the OneWorld spinnaker exploded immediately after hoisting on the final run, but the Americans raised a replacement in time to hold on for the win.