KEY POINTS:
Team New Zealand today booked a yachting rematch with America's Cup holders Alinghi after completing a whitewash in the challengers' final off Valencia.
Team NZ beat Italy's Luna Rossa by 22 seconds on another light wind afternoon for a 5-0 sweep in the Louis Vuitton Cup decider.
The victory gives them and skipper Dean Barker the chance to try to extract revenge over Alinghi, who took the Auld Mug off them in Auckland four years ago.
Their best-of-nine showdown with the Swiss defenders begins on June 24 (NZT).
It is the second time Team NZ have won the LV Cup. The first was in San Diego in 1995, when they went on to lift the America's Cup against Dennis Conner and Stars and Stripes.
As they crossed the finish line, Barker and his crew showed the most emotion since the seven-week regatta began, with smiles, handshakes and hugs.
Luna Rossa made unspecified modifications to ITA94 overnight in a bid to keep their campaign alive.
But while they were more competitive than in the past three races, they couldn't get themselves on the scoreboard.
The gap between the boats was surprisingly constant, being exactly 20sec at each of the turning marks.
Both Barker and Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill made good starts in a seven to eight-knot seabreeze, before they headed out on a drag race out to the right-hand side of the course.
The Italians edged out into a small lead, but were unable to cross in front when they tacked back.
Barker forced Spithill back out to the right and beyond the starboard layline, sailing into the lead as he did so.
Down the first run, Luna Rossa escaped the cover out on them with a dummy gybe, a move that paid initial dividends as they made a gain, before NZL92 extended over the remainder of the leg.
Up the second beat, the intensity increased with the Italians initiating a hectic tacking duel, and they looked threatening as they closed to within a boat length.
But when the boats disengaged, both sailing out to the left, Team NZ again opened out the gap.
Luna Rossa kept trying to get into a position to try to overtake on the run home, without quite managing it.
- NZPA
