KEY POINTS:
Alinghi beat Team New Zealand by 22 seconds today to take a 1-0 lead in the five-race final of the Pacific Series sailing regatta, continuing its run of success against its old Americas Cup rival.
High winds prevented further competition Friday, forcing organizers to trim the finals series from seven to five races to ensure it concludes on schedule Saturday.
The first race took place in winds of 17 to 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots, although conditions deteriorated steadily through the day.
Team New Zealand seemed to gain the upper hand in the pre-start Friday, holding Alinghi above the line before breaking away to start at speed in the middle of the line.
New Zealand sought the left-hand side of the course, allowing Alinghi to take the right, but an anticipated left-hand wind shift didn't occur and the Swiss yacht was able to edge ahead.
Alinghi led around the first mark and retained its lead for the remainder of the race, while Team New Zealand was further hampered by a problem with a spinnaker halyard on the final leg.
The teams had raced twice previously in multi-race finals before Friday's meeting: Alinghi beat Team New Zealand 5-0 in a best-of-nine series to win the America's Cup off Auckland in 2003 and won again, 5-2, when it defended the Cup off Valencia, Spain in 2007.
Winds were expected to moderate for Saturday's racing.
-AP
