Tuesday, February 22, 2000
For once that excitable yachting commentator Peter Montgomery could say "it's carnage on the water" and be almost on the right tack.
Prada's challenge fell apart in a spatter of blood in race two.
The race was as one-sided as a Don King-organised prize fight, with the Italians hitting the canvas virtually at the first bell.
Prada bowman Max Sirena was certainly prostrate after slicing his head open during the first beat, gushing blood everywhere.
With blood on the boat and a man in the water trying to remove a mess of plastic and rope tangled around the Luna Rossa keel, the race was all but over before Black Magic had even rounded the first mark.
Prada's crew may have been wearing lucky red socks but the feet warmers proved a hex during the second challenge as everything that could go wrong, did.
Coutts rang rings around de Angelis during the pre-start joust, Luna Rossa crossing 30s behind the starting gun before the tangled keel fiasco saw the Red Moon turn a bloodier hue.
After making up 24s on a 2m 19s deficit after the first leg, the Italians lost control of the spinnaker approaching the bottom mark. Team New Zealand also had its problems, dropping a gennaker and almost losing a spinnaker pole.
It did not matter. Continuing Italian errors, including equipment failure on the last windward leg leaving Luna Rossa unable to tack, provided Black Magic with a huge win. Still, Prada made enough gains, in between shooting themselves in the foot, to suggest that they had the potential to get in front.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Race 2, 2000: Truly blood on the water
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