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The first race and even the first part of the first race are essential indicators to the result of the America's Cup. Russell Green, a member of the 2007 BMW Oracle team and part of the regatta's vast Kiwi connection, analyses the contest between Alinghi and Team NZ as an independent third party with Paul Lewis.KEY POINTS:
VALENCIA - Alinghi boatspeed versus Team New Zealand crew speed? The answer may be that Alinghi's downwind speed may play a key role in deciding this intriguing America's Cup after Alinghi comfortably took the vital first race by 35s this morning.
The race ended ominously, with Alinghi running away from the New Zealanders on the final downwind leg - a surprising development with the Kiwis generally expected to be faster off the breeze.
In previously unseen conditions at this regatta, Alinghi's boat also seemed to handle better the bumpy, sloppy chop and patchy winds of 11-14 knots. Upwind, the two boats appeared even. The TNZ crew performed slickly enough but this was a day when the conditions held sway, with the defenders coping best.
On the first upwind leg, Alinghi seemed to handle the bad water a little better than Team NZ. It rode higher across the difficult waves and coped comfortably with the patchy winds, maintaining its height. In contrast, the New Zealand boat went bow down more noticeably when they struck bad waves - allowing the Swiss to move quickly away.
The other worry for the New Zealanders was that Alinghi also won the tacking duels, seeming to accelerate out of the tacks better in the conditions.
But these will not necessarily be the conditions that dominate the rest of this series and it may still be too early to mark the Swiss boat down as definitively faster _ although their downwind speed was troubling.
The start was intensely even, with Team New Zealand sitting where they wanted to be, on the favoured right, but Alinghi countered well. On the vital first leg, however, most expected Alinghi to be on high mode, forcing the New Zealanders away. But TNZ lived on the right, snatched a 12m lead and turned it into 20m before Alinghi came back strongly, forcing TNZ to tack away before their lead was eaten up.
Then Alinghi caught a windshift and turned their 13m deficit into a 22m lead before TNZ found a shift on the right and countered effectively.
By the second cross, Alinghi were in control, extending their lead. They generally seemed to tack better in the choppy conditions, boosting themselves to a 60m lead.
But Team NZ kept in contact and skipper Dean Barker made a good move approaching the first mark, cutting Alinghi's lead a little and trailing around the mark by only 13s.
On the downwind run, Team New Zealand pulled off a better gybe than Alinghi but the defenders were still in control, with clear air. They extended their lead comfortably, however, as Team New Zealand gybed again. This time, the Swiss kept more wind pressure in their sails and pushed the lead out to what seemed a decisive margin, rounding the second mark 20s ahead.
In the second upwind leg, Alinghi opted for the more conservative starboard side and TNZ found more pressure to the left, making gains and putting themselves into a position where they might be able to attack Alinghi on the second downwind leg.
But the Swiss dominated in the tacks again and, at the top mark, they rounded the third mark 14s ahead before increasing their advantage downwind, on the way home.
All up, the race was decided by the Alinghi boat's better handling of the conditions, Brad Butterworth's slick tactical skills, its downwind speed and speed out of the tacks - an ominous all-round package.
