Yachting: Regattas reinforce the need for speed

MALMO - Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton says the latest America's Cup pre-regattas in Malmo reaffirm the basic philosophy of the need for speed.

The final race of the fleet-racing regatta was cancelled after light winds failed to lift the fog suffocating the course.

With just three of the five races completed, Emirates Team New Zealand finished fourth behind Alinghi, BMW Oracle Racing and Team Luna Rossa.

The result followed their third placing in the match-racing regatta which as a consequence has seen Oracle overtake Team New Zealand as the top-ranked challenger after four cup pre-regattas.

While there was nothing surprising in the regatta results in that the same teams filled the top four spots, the most intriguing aspect was the devastating speed of Alinghi's race yacht SUI75, the sister yacht of cup winner SUI64.

"I think a lot of it is to do with the balance of their boat," Dalton said.

"You can't look at it and see one specific thing. It seems to fit the new version of the [design] rule very nicely."

A conservatively designed boat, which had a hull appendage whacked on it after it was discovered Team New Zealand had one, Alinghi have transformed SUI75 into a machine that performs no matter the conditions, in the process setting a benchmark that a lot of teams will struggle to reach let alone pass.

Alinghi tactician Brad Butterworth said SUI75 was really a brand new boat.

"We never really got going with that boat. When it [the cup] finished, it finished with 10 per cent of the hours SUI64 had done, then it was back to the boatyard in Vevey," Butterworth said.

"Then we fixed it up - we made a few modifications to it just to make it like SUI64. It is a pretty nice boat and its nice to sail although our favourite would be SUI64."

However, Dalton points to Team New Zealand as an example of how quickly things can change.

"In 2000 the syndicate were far superior in terms of design and in the space of one cup they got leapt.

"Everyone disappeared over the horizon and left them behind. We are still suffering the results of the 2003 design process.

"We have to read something into it [SUI75]. It is a good package and they are not stupid down there, but to overreact to it ... we are still following where we want to be with our design and they are following where they want to with their design."

Although their results do not really show it, Team New Zealand can take plenty of positives from their efforts in Malmo.

The syndicate return home for a couple of weeks before heading to Trapani for the year's final two regattas starting on September 29. Dalton said they would make some changes to their boat NZL82.