3.45pm
For the third day in a row the wind has been too strong for a start in the America's Cup challenger yachting series on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.
Efforts to get racing under way today were abandoned at 2.40pm, with the wind consistently above the 19-knot average maximum needed for a match to start.
Officials said the wind in the 90 minutes after the scheduled 1.15pm start time had ranged between about 19 and 23 knots out of the southwest.
With only three sets of races held so far in the best-of-seven series, just two scheduled days remain to complete the first phase of the semifinals.
Organisers will try to hold two races tomorrow and Tuesday in a bid to get as many matches held in the round as possible. They will be held over a shorter two-lap course rather than the usual three laps.
The Russell Coutts-skippered Swiss Alinghi team lead 3-0 in their contest with the Chris Dickson-skippered Oracle, of San Francisco, and need just one more win to qualify for the final. That would send Oracle into the semifinal repechage.
In contrast, at least three races will be needed, if the contest between the two lower-ranking teams -- Italy's Prada and OneWorld of Seattle -- is to be completed.
Although OneWorld has won two races, the teams are currently locked on 1-1 because the Seattle-based team went into the round with a one-point penalty.
Today's abandonment means 18 out of 48 scheduled racing days have been lost in the challenger series because the weather was not right.
- NZPA
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
Challenger series stalls in the wind
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