SAILING: Following a weather-enforced delay of over a week since going 0-3 down to Challenger Alinghi, Team New Zealand ran into further trouble on the Hauraki Gulf yesterday by failing to finish for the second time out of four starts to see the Auld Mug all but heading to Europe for the first time.
In conditions that were on the upper limits for racing, with winds inconsistent in both strength and direction and choppy seas, there are those in Auckland, and certainly many within Team New Zealand who are left wishing that race four could have been postponed for the fifth consecutive time. Indeed, had there not been so many postponements many observers believe race officer Harold Bennett would not have permitted racing.
In the end, it mattered not one jot as Alinghi proved themselves to be imperious once more, leading the black boat by 17 seconds into the first leeward mark having rounded the first windward buoy eight seconds ahead.
Team New Zealand, who were never going to make ground on Alinghi's renegade Kiwi crew skippered masterfully by Russell Coutts, with Brad Butterworth once more calling the tactics right, but an already blighted defence of the Cup they successfully defended at home three years ago went from bad to worse.
Having once again been slow out of the blocks, outsmarted by Alinghi by at least half a length, Team New Zealand appeared to be taking on considerable amounts of water, just as she had done in the first race when their boom broke, and indeed NZL-82 was sailing low in the water as their Swiss rivals powered ahead.
It was a fraction before the hour mark of race four that disaster struck Team New Zealand as she dismasted, the carbon-fibre mast breaking between the first and second spreader following a bucking-bronco few minutes that saw her bow plunge deep into the first of two huge waves.
"Bad," shouted Mainsail trimmer Adam Beashel to his skipper Dean Barker as the bow reared three metres out of the water exerting intolerable pressure on the 25-tonne yacht as the rigging gave way.
Alinghi was able to sail on conservatively to claim their fourth consecutive victory, a record 13th straight America's Cup success for skipper Coutts.
Many observers now place considerable substance on the rumours that have been circulating in New Zealand since NZ-82 almost sunk on race one that the boat had suffered serious structural damage, but a despondent-looking skipper Dean Barker denied this afterwards.
"We haven't broken this much gear in such a short amount of time," he said, adding, "It's always hard to put your finger on why something breaks. We're obviously pretty disappointed with the things we've broken up until now, but we'll have to take this one on the chin once again."
Barker's opposite number Coutts again allowed his helmsmanship to do the talking, but Alinghi grinder Christian Karcher declared: "This was all about a lack of training, preparation and time on the water, Their boat spent too much time in the shed being fine tuned ashore."
Today's race is an official race day, so Team New Zealand cannot request a postponement, and the shore crew have worked through the night putting the rig from back-up boat NZL-81 into 82, and syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg all-but conceded the Cup in a post-race interview on TVNZ.
