GBR lose, Americans dominate

On day seven of the Louis Vuitton Cup's first round robin

A report on the match between Stars & Stripes and Alinghi

After another late start for Round Robin One, Alinghi dominated the race on Course Juliet, picking up another win for the Swiss team. The wind filled in from the southwest, increasing to 15 knots and the start gun sounded at 14:15 NZT, kicking off the much-anticipated competition after a becalmed morning.

In the pre-start joust, Russell Coutts protected the right end of the line, and forced Stars and Stripes to the pin end. Alinghi pushed Stars and Stripes helmsman Ken Read to the left side, causing them to double tack at the pin. Alinghi won the start by 11 seconds, although both boats were late for the start, completing two down-speed tacks after the gun, after Read pressed in vain for an advantage.

Ken Read skippering the New York Yacht Club’s challenger for the America’s Cup, stayed close and pressed Alinghi hard with 13 tacks on the first leg.

Alinghi skipper Kiwi Russell Coutts, who three years ago successfully headed New Zealand’s defense of the Cup, protected the right-hand side of the course with its starboard tack right-of-way advantage and in the second half of the first leg consolidated his lead in the 16 to 18-knot southerly. But the wind was oscillating from between 150º to 170º degrees, challenging the afterguard to navigate the capricious wind shifts.

Sailing by and large faster around the course, Alinghi steadily built up a lead on the chasing boat, except on the second downwind leg. Stars and Stripes stole a few seconds back by the second leeward mark rounding. In particular, Alinghi showed strong upwind boat speed against the Americans, as they stretched away from the chasing boat on each beat.

“It was a key moment in the race when they were able to get the jump on us off the starting line,” said afterguard member Peter Isler, from San Diego, CA. “Those guys are good. They handle their boat well.

“We had a team meeting on the way in tonight and despite losing four races in a row, our team spirits are very high,” Isler continued. “There is plenty of optimism. We are working through some tough times right now, and paying the price to learn a few lessons, but we’re confident that we’re going to pick up momentum
pretty quickly here.”

Alan Coutts, grinder on Alinghi commented: "Conditions were perfect today - well worth waiting for. We managed to get the better start, ahead of Stars and Stripes and to take advantage of 2 wind shifts up the first beat. After that it was a matter of protecting the lead and staying in front."

His colleague and fellow grinder Christina Karcher added: “When the wind is varying in speed and direction as much as it was today, making a decision is taking a risk. We placed ourselves between Stars and Stripes and the mark and played it safe"

The crew of Stars & Stripes today was: Vince Brun, Wally Henry,
Peter Isler, and Bill Trenkle, from San Diego, CA; Chuck Brown,
Jerry Kirby, Rob Myles, Ken Read and Tony Rey, from Newport, RI;
Chris Kam, Stonington, CT; Rock Ferrigno, Fairfield, CT; Tom
Whidden, Essex, CT; Terry Hutchinson, Andrew Scott and Morgan
Trubovitch, Annapolis, MD; and Dave Calverley, Tampa, FL. The 17th
man was Stripes supporter Charles Dana, Commodore of the New York
Yacht Club.