America's Cup: Oracle grapple with fickle conditions

By JULIE ASH


Oracle tactician John Kostecki admits the fickle conditions off the coast of Valencia are getting the better of his team.

The American syndicate, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, have beaten defenders Alinghi in two regattas since the cup and won the opening pre-regatta in Marseille last month.

But in Valencia they have failed to fire.

Finishing third behind Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Luna Rossa in the match racing regatta, BMW Oracle Racing scored a dismal fifth and sixth in the opening two races of the fleet racing series yesterday.

"There are three more years until the America's Cup, so in the big picture this is pretty insignificant," Kostecki said.

"The conditions here are not the same that we are going to have during the America's Cup ... so we are not going to worry about it too much. For us it is important to stay positive.

"We have had three successful regattas, the Moet Cup, the UBS trophy and in Marseille and some could say it is good for us not to be winning all the time ... especially so early in the game."

Oracle are using USA71 in the regatta after their original race boat (USA76) was damaged in the storm which swept through Marseille at the end of the opening regatta.

USA71 was used as a training boat in the last cup and never raced in the challenger series.

"We don't seem to be any slower than any of the top boats so we are pretty happy with our boat speed," Kostecki said.

"I think if we just sail a little bit better we can get some good races."

Admittedly the conditions in Valencia have been extremely shifty and have produced a complete minefield for tacticians and strategists.

"It is the time of the year ... the land is cooler and there are more fronts coming through so the sea breeze that we normally get here in the summer is nowhere near as strong," he said.

"Today a front went through. We had an offshore wind and then it clears up and the land heats up and we have a little bit of sea breeze which kills the land breeze, hence there is no wind or it is real fluky like what we have had."

Team New Zealand won the first race by a big margin after picking up an enormous shift of the second upwind leg.

In the second race they were pipped at the post by Alinghi in a slow-motion final run.

Team New Zealand's performance was once again a credit to the syndicate's new look afterguard who somehow managed to understand the conditions.

"We are going to have days where it doesn't go that well and that to me will be more of a measure of us as a team," said tactician Terry Hutchinson.

Team New Zealand success in Valencia, although not surprising, has come about quickly considering the short amount of time they have spent together.

"The best thing looking back over a couple of days in the match racing was our last race against Alinghi where we knew we had to beat either them or Oracle to win the regatta.

"To go out and put Alinghi away on the first beat before the race was abandoned was a really good feeling.

"It said something about the team ... it says we are going to be up to this challenge we have ahead of us.

"That is certainly the feeling on the boat and all the guys that were involved in the team last time feel the change already," Hutchinson said.

Team New Zealand lead the third regatta with a two-point buffer over Alinghi.

Team Luna Rossa are third ahead of Le Defi, Oracle, K-Challenge, Team Shosholoza and +39.

Two races are scheduled overnight.

The regatta finishes overnight tomorrow.