Yachting: Prospects looking good for race start

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

After eating ice-creams on a lazy day in the sun, Team New Zealand thought it would a bit rich if they had another layday in the America's Cup today.

"It would seem a bit frivolous if we took a day off on a perfectly windy day now," said navigator Tom Schnackenberg.

Just as well then that everyone agreed to break with tradition and race today on a layday. And the Kiwis are positive there will finally be racing today after four of seven days have been write-offs.

Their weather expert, Bob Rice, punched out the numbers last night and predicted a stable 13-18 knots from the north-east. "Bob gave us the forecast with some confidence. Even if it's out by a couple of knots either way, it's still going to be good," Schnackenberg said.

Prada's team thought it would be a little lighter than the optimistic weather calls.

The winds in February are usually more fickle than other months, but race director Harold Bennett said this February was worse than most.

He disagreed that this was not the best month to hold the America's Cup.

"Generally at this time of the year you would see a lot of sea breezes, but we're just not seeing them this year," he said. "The weather pattern has been a lot different from a large number of years. We've just struck a bad patch of it."

Bennett has been as frustrated as anyone over the constant postponements in this Cup, and would have been happier if there had not been alternate laydays.

"I said in the very beginning I didn't agree with off-days. But I didn't have a say in that arrangement," he said. "I'd like to think race days tied on to one another, with the ability to stand down if necessary."