Yachting: Language a barrier to Nippon start

By Suzanne McFadden

On board Asura, Nippon's America's Cup boat, there is a language breakdown.

Australian skipper Peter Gilmour has not yet come to grips with counting backwards in Japanese, which almost cost them a race yesterday.

The Nippon crew converse in a mixture of Japanese and English for the benefit of Gilmour, who is not yet fluent in the language of his adopted country.

So when trimmer Tatsuya Wakinaga counted down to the starting gun in Japanese in yesterday's race, Gilmour did not quite get what he was saying. The boat crossed the line three seconds early, nearly crashed into the committee boat, and handed Le Defi France a headstart.

Nippon, however, made up for their shippai (mistake), overtaking France on the third leg of six to win by 49s - giving the Japanese their third win from six in the Louis Vuitton Cup second round.

On Young Australia's boat, there was a communication breakdown which cost them victory - yet they all speak in the same tongue.

The young Aussies are struggling to rein in their bucking new boat, which sailed right past the final top mark and blew their chances of beating the Spanish Challenge.

Locked in a duel with the Spanish, the Aussies tried to force their opponents to gybe again, but in their enthusiasm overshot the mark and tangled their sails.

Rob Brown, one of the elder statesmen on board, said he always feared that the 1995 OneAustralia acquired for this round would be a little overpowering for the young crew.

"James [Spithill] is feeling the pressure now that we are in close quarters with other boats," Brown said. "In fact, James' mind might be ahead of the capabilities of the crew."

There were no problems, however, for Prada, who are now outright leaders in this regatta. The Italians appear to have overcome their one hiccup against Stars & Stripes to lead their closest rivals, today's opponents Young America, by 10 points.

Another of the big guns, AmericaOne, have had a difficult second round, losing almost as many races as they have won.

Yesterday Prada got the jump on Paul Cayard's battleship grey boat, and waved goodbye.

After nosing in front at the start-line, Italian skipper Francesco de Angelis headed straight for the left. AmericaOne had to tack away to survive when they met again a little further up the track, and the Italians were an amazing five boat-lengths ahead.

Cayard made up a little time on the downwind legs, but they were never big enough bites out of Prada's lead.

America True won the tussle with their village neighbours Stars & Stripes after heading to the favoured left side of the course and were almost one minute ahead at the first mark, sucking up the puffs of breeze from the west.

The victory moves the Trues into third place overall, just where skipper Dawn Riley reckoned she should be at the end of round two.

Young America skipper Ed Baird had Abracadabra tied in knots in the pre-start waltz, leading rival skipper John Kolius across the start-line early and then leaving him there.

The Hawaiians never recovered, and finished almost five minutes after the New Yorkers.