KEY POINTS:
It's all square. Four races down and former Oracle navigator and veteran cup sailor Peter Isler, who is commentating for webcaster Versus, describes the points of difference between the two teams to Julie Ash.
HELMSMAN AND TACTICIAN
Gary Jobson always said that winning the America's Cup required a
great tactician and a great helmsman - a mind-melding duo. He pointed to himself and Ted Turner, Dennis Conner and Tom Whidden, and Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth.
I look at Terry Hutchinson (below) and Dean Barker as a team that has forged itself to being that sort of duo. The communication is flowing smoothly and they have really worked out how they are doing it, and if there are any issues there you don't see it.
It is quite likely that Brad Butterworth has been rotating through three different helmsmen and so he probably hasn't had the same amount of time to settle in with Ed Baird. So it is probably time together that is the difference now.
I think you feel a little difference between the teamwork you see on Team New Zealand between the tactician and helmsman and on Alinghi. There is no right way to run the tactician, helmsman, afterguard communication and responsibilities. Everyone divides up the responsibilities differently.
AFTERGUARD
You have two very similar afterguards in their ability to read the wind. Alinghi's Murray Jones is as good as it gets, as is Adam Beashel up the rig. Call that neutral. In terms of tacticians, although they have slightly different styles I have tremendous respect for Brad Butterworth and Terry Hutchinson. Really in the afterguard there is not much difference. If you wanted to say anything I think Brad's managerial style is a little bit looser than Terry's.
THE CREWS
How are you going to criticise Alinghi sailors Simon Daubney or Warwick Fleury? Until proven otherwise they are the best.
Team New Zealand are a joy to listen to. That is an America's Cup boat being sailed as well as they have ever been sailed.
Alinghi? Raw talent galore but they honestly don't sound as tight as Team New Zealand. I think that is partly the race-hardening. Sure Alinghi have practised a lot with coach Peter Gilmour and with other teams but it is not like the pressure of the real thing.
Three of the races have come down to people's decisions on the boat. I am fascinated to see if Alinghi can handle the pressure Team New Zealand are throwing at them. They didn't expect to be 2-2, I can guarantee that.
Alinghi are being pushed more than they have ever been pushed before. No one has been allowed to get on a roll here.
THE BOATS - NZL92 and SUI100
It is closer than we could have ever hoped for. I think it is better than we could have ever hoped for.
We are a little spoiled because these guys are sailing so well that a four boat-length lead, a 20-second lead, seems like the race is over. We've got to take a step back and realise how close that is over an hour and a half.
Even if Alinghi did have a speed advantage in 2003 it was going to be darn small differences by the time they reached this cup. I think a lot of the talk about Alinghi being super quick was well-engineered hype on behalf of the defender.
There are times that the Alinghi boat appears to have a little bit of a performance advantage but the difference is so small it has been negated.
Although Brad Butterworth always says it is all about design, sailors' decisions and sailors' errors can be credited for deciding three of the four races.
KEY FOR TEAM NEW ZEALAND
Really, there should be very little pressure. All they have to do is keep ticking away. It sounds boring but they should keep doing what they have done.
How can they try harder? They are trying as hard as they can. Should they change anything? No.
James Spithill came on the Versus show and said Dean Barker should be more aggressive in the prestart because Ed Baird has shown some weakness there. But it is tough in an 85-foot boat to go and say be more aggressive.
Unless your opponent gives you an opening, being aggressive just for the sake of being aggressive is a loser because it means your odds of at least an even start go down. You start taking risks.
I still wonder if Team New Zealand's boat isn't as strong in the prestart as what it is in the open course. When you get aggressive, sometimes you start asking the boat to do more than it can.
