Yachting: French defection official

By Suzanne McFadden

As one boat bows out of the America's Cup, another black boat is set to make a grand entrance on the opening day of the five-month regatta.

Team New Zealand's second defence boat, NZL60, should be ready to launch on Monday, the first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.

The defenders will have their own portion of the gulf to test their new yacht, while the challengers get down to serious battles on two other courses.

The challenger fleet is now set at 11, after French syndicate Le Defi Sud finally withdrew from the America's Cup yesterday.

The weaker of two French syndicates who originally entered the Louis Vuitton Cup series, the team from the Yacht Club de Cannes sent a letter to the organisers yesterday ending their campaign because of a lack of money.

Organisers figured that was the case a month ago, when the yellow French boat was trucked out of the Cup village and put up for sale.

Time ran out last week for the Russians.