Team NZ show them how to do it

By Suzanne McFadden

As far as America's Cup history goes, it was even more bizarre than the day OneAustralia sank off San Diego.

Six of the eight races were walkovers on the penultimate day of the challengers' first round yesterday - two boats never left the dock, one turned up 30 minutes late and two others retired injured. Five boats sailed around the course alone.

The race officer reckoned there were more requests to delay racing yesterday than in the 1992 and 1995 cups put together.

And, as if to rub salt into all the agony, Team New Zealand's new black boats brazenly sailed through the middle of the challenger course while the survivors were still racing.

It was a real statement from the New Zealand defenders, who breezed through a day of training on the blustery Hauraki Gulf while the challengers muddled about in the 20 knot-plus winds.

The chaos began with Young America, who were 28 minutes late to the start of their race against Stars & Stripes after repairing mast damage.

The Hawaiians and Australians were furious, having been denied time to fix breakages on their boats before the start of racing yesterday afternoon, and promptly protested.

Young Australia were so angry they packed up and sailed home, leaving Stars & Stripes to sail the course alone for the second time that day.

The Spanish were forced to abandon racing when their spinnaker twisted and a crewman hung upside down from the top of the mast for 15 minutes trying to untangle it.

But there was some magic on a bleak cup day. In the one genuine race, only one second separated the surfing boats at the finish line, Nippon just holding on to beat America True.