Yachting: Hacksaw crucial in semifinal surprise

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

How did they do it? Stars & Stripes were attacking their mast with a hacksaw, the guy driving kept leaving the wheel to free the boom and still they crushed Nippon in the first upset of the America's Cup challengers semifinals yesterday.

Yet the biggest question at the end of day one was: have Nippon chosen the wrong boat?

No disrespect intended to Team Dennis Conner, but the Japanese were expected to win their first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals.

But their original boat, Asura - out of retirement and supposedly with a new speed edge - was outgunned by Conner's only boat, Stars & Stripes.

It was the only turn-up yesterday. Prada neatly beat America True and AmericaOne's new boat, USA61, held out a downwind assault by Le Defi's Sixieme Sens.

When describing yesterday's 55s victory, Stars & Stripes' helmsman Ken Read talked of his boat's new mast and sails, and the tactical brilliance of his afterguard, who desperately wanted the left side of the course at the start and got it.

But still, everyone wanted to know, is Asura fast or slow, and should Nippon have stuck with Idaten, the boat with the most wins in round three? It is too late to switch back.

When prodded, Nippon skipper Peter Gilmour shied away: "I think the choice is made, so we are certainly happy with that.

"They [Stars & Stripes] took a nice windshift out to the left, and there were not a lot of passing lanes. Nor would they let us get to the left at any stage of the race."

In other words, all credit to Stars & Stripes.

Connecticut businessman Tom Whidden, a true cup veteran of Stars & Stripes campaigns, did a sterling job alerting the crew to the shift on the pre-race advice of Kiwi sailor Murray Ross, the team weatherman.

When the boats first crossed, Nippon were more than 300m behind, and it was virtually race over.

Stars & Stripes were not without their problems. At the end of the second run, the track on which the spinnaker pole runs up the mast broke, and the crew feared they would not be able to gybe again.

But bowmen Geordie Shaver and Rob Miles pulled out the hacksaw, hammer and chisel and did a fix-it job that kept Stars & Stripes in the race.

All the while, Read kept having to abandon the wheel to clear the boom from the running backstays - a problem the shore crew were trying to remedy last night.

Prada's only concern yesterday was to keep a wary eye on America True, who avoided the Italians by weaving through the spectator fleet in the pre-start. The Trues had the lead at the start, heading left and forcing Prada off to the right.

But there was an immediate windshift on the right hand side of the course, propelling Luna Rossa into the lead for a 1m win.

AmericaOne's new boat proved itself quick upwind yesterday, but was threatened downwind every time by Sixieme Sens. The French counterattacks meant they were only 22s behind at the finish line.

Today's racing, 1.15 pm: Prada v Stars & Stripes; America True v AmericaOne; Nippon v Le Defi France.