Fickle winds mean it's time for fans

America's Cup sailors and their young fans switched roles yesterday as high winds forced yet another day's racing in the challenger series to be postponed.

While children on their holiday outing to the Viaduct Harbour flocked to try out the sailing experience at Alinghi, some of the Italians competing in the series headed to the usual kids' hangout, the kart-racing circuit.

Mascalzone Latino may have just one win on the water after 10 races, but helmsman Paolo Cian was clinging to a wheel of a different kind as he took to the kart track.

Across town, Edwin Delaat was one of scores of young children heading for the next-best thing to a real America's Cup yacht - an afternoon taking on the bucking bow and grinders at the Alinghi team's interactive plaza.

Edwin is a mad keen Team New Zealand supporter but the West Auckland 6-year-old dragged his parents along for a second visit to the Swiss syndicate's base so he could have another crack at their grinding machine.

The practice is all good for Edwin; he is already sailing his own P-class yacht and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the late Sir Peter Blake.

The interactive games and activities at Alinghi are proving a magnet for young Aucklanders.

There was a constant queue for the bucking Bowman Experience where eager youngsters slither, crawl or lunge to attach a rope to the lurching bow sliced off the real yacht, SUI59.

Dan McGlone, from Torbay, saw the free activities as a Swiss bid for some good karma as he watched his 6-year-old son, Alex, flailing about on the mini deck.

"It's only right seeing as they've nicked Russell [Coutts] and all the others. I take my hat off to them for making the effort."

Louis Vuitton Cup races are due to resume today, weather permitting, with organisers scheduling two rounds of races over each of the next two days.

More than 40 per cent of race days over the first two rounds have been lost either because of gales or a lack of wind.

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