Alinghi gear snapped up

By LOUISA CLEAVE

A pair of crutches an Alinghi crew member may have used will be displayed at an Indian restaurant.

A stainless steel bar that Russell Coutts possibly leaned against to recount successes over Team New Zealand is destined for a Pukekohe bar.

The Alinghi base was yesterday stripped clean - from carpets to cleaning equipment - and sold to the highest bidder.

Jim Grace, standing with his son in a long checkout queue, said there was an air of mystique about the Viaduct base.

One man said the prices were inflated - black chairs which sold for just under $300 each could be bought for $35. But the buyer said they were Danish designs and cost $800 each.

Dinesh Tailor said he did not come intending to buy the crutches, but the $10 spur-of-the-moment purchase would be displayed in his new Dominion Rd Indian restaurant.

The owners of a new bar in Pukekohe said they would not be promoting their $5000 purchase as a former Alinghi service area.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup