6.15pm
Light and flukey winds helped propel Oracle BMW Racing to their first point in the challenger finals after they posted a huge win over Team Alinghi on the Hauraki Gulf today.
The San Francisco-based Oracle came from behind after the first leg to beat Alinghi by two minutes 13 seconds, and now trail 1-3 in the best of nine race series.
It was another day of light airs and shifting winds on the Hauraki Gulf, and it was Oracle skippered by Chris Dickson which sailed the better race.
In an unguarded moment near the end of the race, Dickson described the win as a 'thumping".
Helmsman Peter Holmberg urged his sailors to keep the win in perspective, and celebrations were muted as they crossed the finish line.
"You've done a fantastic job," Holmberg told the crew.
"Don't get too excited, we've got four more to go."
Dickson again called the tactics for Holmberg and the pair took Oracle across the start line in front of Alinghi and on what appeared to be the favoured side of the course.
But it was Alinghi which benefited from the winds shifting to the right, and the Swiss team rounded the first mark 38 seconds clear.
However on the first run the light airs weakened to around five knots, and Oracle was in position to sail by. Alinghi, which had separated from Oracle by more than one kilometre part-way down the run, could only watch as their rival's spinnaker filled with air while their's flapped.
Although Alinghi at times reduced the gap in later legs, they were never able to get close enough to pressure the Americans who picked up significant windshifts throughout the race.
By the end of the second run, Oracle was ahead by more than two minutes, and their lead was never again threatened.
Talk was muted on Alinghi over the line, and the Swiss will be less than thrilled with predictions of flat seas and light winds over the next few days, conditions which clearly suit Oracle.
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