America's Cup....

[cantos]

2 dozen please.

[Greg_Dyke]

2 dozen c0cks ?

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Cantos, for you anything!

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

And we are almost off again in race 5 with the series level at 2-2.

 

More to follow.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Wind gusting between 9 and 12 knots, so should make for a good contest, although talk around Valencia is that this will favour Alinghi.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

The pre-start is underway and both teams look in good shape... you may say ship-shape!

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

NZ are first to cross the start and have just edged ahead!

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

NZL has a 19 metre lead.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Commentators are saying that NZ really put the heat on the Swiss in the starting box, had the initiative and were forcing them into a position where they were very close to the boundary / layline. Encouraging stuff!

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

NZL 7 metre lead. Boats cutting through the water parallel to each other, no tacking, no gybing. Straight out drag right now... And Alinghi have made up some ground...

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Today's Teams

Alinghi: Bowman: Pieter van Nieuwenhuyzen. Pitman: Josh Belsky. Grinders: Mark McTeigue, Matt Welling, Will McCarthy. Trimmers: Simon Daubney, Lorenzo Mazza. Mainsail trimmer: Warwick Fleury, Strategist/traveller: Murray Jones. Runner/pitman: Dean Phipps. Navigator: Juan Vila. Afterguard: Ernesto Bertarelli. Tactician: Brad Butterworth. Helmsman: Ed Baird.

 

Team NZ: Bowman: Stuart Bettany. Grinders: Rob Waddell, Winston McFarlane, Jono MacBeth, Chris McAsey. Trimmers: Chris Salthouse, Grant Loretz, James Dagg. Runner: Tony Rae. Mainsail Trimmer: Dan Cowie. Strategist: Ray Davies. Tactician: Terry Hutchinson. Helmsman/Tactician: Kelvin Harrap, Skipper: Dean Barker.

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Alinghi out on the right hand side of the course, Team NZ sticking pretty tight... Positions pretty static at the moment.

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Alinghi are now registering a 2 metre lead.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Now NZL has 5metre lead. This is gonna be a close one.

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Yachts rapidly nearing right hand boundary of the course - this is the layline I believe... - and NZ are pressuring Alinghi: 8 metre lead. Still no tacking or gybing.

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Nearing the layline... NZL 7metre lead.

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Team NZ tacks, as does Alinghi, shadowing the layline now...

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

Peter Montgomery's voice is getting higher (He's TVNZ's sports reporter), that must be a good sign... "Team NZ are leading by 15, sixteeeeeeeeen metres!"

 

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

NZL 20 metre lead!

[NotTheRealSteveWest]

245 metres to the top mark.