SAILING: Oracle-BMW Racing yesterday completed a 4-0 whitewash of OneWorld and now will meet Alinghi from Switzerland in the first-to-five final of the Louis Vuitton Cup starting on January 11th. The winner will face Team New Zealand for the America's Cup in February.
The result could have been so different, as Larry Ellison's San Francisco-based syndicate were behind at halfway but had one minute, four seconds in hand at the line over Craig McCaw and Paul Allen's yacht from Seattle.
OneWorld was 59 seconds up at the first mark before Oracle closed to 28 seconds, but after another beat OneWorld was 48 seconds ahead at halfway.
However, when Oracle rounded the windward mark Chris Dickson turned the wheel to the northern side and the split between the boats became three-quarters of a mile. A small change in wind direction then had a dramatic effect, moving Oracle from 300 metres astern to 200 metres ahead. In failing to cover, the OneWorld helmsman Peter Gilmour had thrown away any chance of a recovery.
Meanwhile, an Australian speedster, a British giant and a multinational workhorse are among the early favourites to take out the gruelling Sydney-Hobart bluewater yacht race on Thursday.
The three maxis Alfa Romeo/Shockwave of Australia, Canon of Britain and Sweden's Nicorette appear set to fight out a close line honours battle in the annual 630 nautical mile race.
They are expected to lead a fleet of 57 yachts out of Sydney Harbour, down Australia's east coast and across the notoriously rough Bass Strait between the mainland and the island state of Tasmania.
