Yachting: Cup slowcoach stays behind

By Suzanne McFadden

The Spanish armada has arrived in Auckland - minus their America's Cup turtle.

Desafio Espanol built two cup boats for this challenger series in Auckland, but they left the slowest one at home.

Bravo Espana, the brand new white boat with the turned-up nose, was towed into the cup village on Tuesday evening after being dropped into the sea from a container ship.

Her sister yacht was not new - she was almost totally rebuilt from the 1995 cup - but she still wasn't fast enough, according to the Spaniards.

"We were training with the two boats in Valencia, but the difference between them in speed was huge," said project manager Alfonso Gomez.

"It was not worth bringing the other one here in the end.

"But the new boat is real fast."

Bravo Espana is noticeably different than the other new generation cup yachts now in Auckland.

Her bow is turned up - significantly higher than the rest of the deck.

"In testing the bow has proved to be very good - very fast," Gomez said.

The Spanish boat was transported sitting on a cradle on the container ship, so her keel and rudder did not have to be removed.

A crane simply lowered her into the water and she was towed around to her new home in the cup village.

Once her mast is stepped and her deck gear put back on, the boat should be sailing this weekend.

She will be without her skipper and helmsman for her debut on the Hauraki Gulf. Skipper Pedro Campos has yet to arrive in Auckland, while helmsman Luis Doreste is off to Sydney today to sail in the pre-Olympic regatta in a three-man Soling boat.

The Spanish are confident they have shaken off the curse which dogged them during their days in Valencia.

Experienced crewman Martin Wizner was killed when he was struck in the head by a loose piece of gear from the mast.

Then the mast on the new boat snapped 15 minutes after it was officially launched.

"We had such terrible bad luck," said Gomez. "But now there is such a great will to win - in adversity our people have grown."