Yachting: Oracle overcome departure to blitz Team NZ

MALMO - Leaning casually on a rail in his team's ice-white uniform, Oracle chief executive Chris Dickson is remarkably open about his disappointment at Gavin Brady's decision to quit the team.

The New Zealander resigned from the America's Cup team on Monday, barely a month after the syndicate announced American tactician John Kostecki was leaving.

Following Kostecki's departure, Brady was taken off the helm and put in the tactician's role, a move Dickson said Brady struggled with.

Dickson said he was saddened at Brady's decision. "Gavin's a friend, I will miss Gavin being around as a friend.

"He has been doing a great job, the back of the boat has been working very well.

"I can understand Gavin's disappointment at not being the helmsman as he was in the previous regattas, and he has decided to move on. We have got a strong team and we move on."

But an interview on Italian sailing channel La 7 paints a different picture.

Bruno Finzi, of Team Luna Rossa, said Brady told him his resignation came after he criticised his team's casual approach in their race against Desafio Espanol (in particular a downwind leg, when Oracle boss Larry Ellison was at the helm).

Finzi said Dickson told Brady that if he disagreed with the way he ran the syndicate then he was free to leave. So Brady did.

Whatever the reasons for Brady's abrupt departure, the powerful Oracle machine has ample time to regroup, with the challenger series just under two years away.

"We are more stable every week that goes by," Dickson said.

"We have gone through a hard patch, we are still coming out of that hard patch but we have a strong team on and off the water."

Frenchman Bertrand Pace has taken over the tactician's role and, despite their tumultuous start to the day, Oracle claimed an important win, edging out Emirates Team New Zealand by 24s.

The New Zealanders held a narrow lead throughout the first part of the race but blew out their jib near the second windward mark, allowing Oracle to push past and around 15s ahead.

Team New Zealand threw everything at their rivals but Oracle looked a fraction quicker.

Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton said he was "pretty dirty" about the loss but admitted he was happy with other aspects of his team's performance.

"I know our communication is working well. We are switching guys in and out here and it is becoming really seamless and that is really important."

When asked about the situation at Oracle, Dalton said such incidents tended to make teams take a look at themselves.

"They are obviously working to a plan - you don't just randomly fire people."

Team New Zealand's loss now means Alinghi have won the regatta regardless of the result of their final race against Team New Zealand, sailed overnight. With German Jochen Schuemann at the helm, the Swiss picked up two wins on day five, beating Luna Rossa by 25s and Mascalzone Latino by 1m 07s.

The defenders continue to impress with their flawless performances. Although their boat has a slight speed edge, they have also escaped major gear failure in the torrid Swedish waters.

Alinghi vice-president and tactician Brad Butterworth said his team were "feeling good".

"I am surprised the position we are in. We have worked hard but there are other teams that have worked just as hard.

"We have sort of switched our team around, we are using all our sailing squad so it is a nice thing to see. "The boat is going pretty quick there is no question there."