Yachting: Team NZ finish 3rd in fleet racing

Team New Zealand finished third behind Luna Rossa and Alinghi in the Act 5 fleeting racing yachting regatta off Valencia in Spain early today (NZ time).

In fact Sweden's Victory Challenge won the series on the water but a protest relegated them down the order.

The protest against Victory Challenge was a technical one after the measurer found an unusual amount of water in the bilge of SWE 63 during a routine inspection after the fourth race.

It set in motion a chain of events that saw the race committee obliged to protest against the Swedes for an infringement.

The jury, after receiving a report from the measurement committee detailing the rule infringement in the protest hearing, disqualified Victory Challenge from the race.

Luna Rossa (Italy) and Alinghi finished with 46 points each but the Italians were awarded the series by virtue of having the best result in an individual race (first in race 4).

Team New Zealand totalled 43 points after they finished sixth in today's fifth and final race and Victory Challenge tumbled to sixth.

Team New Zealand had won two races in this series but lost ground with a ninth and a fifth, followed by a sixth today

Defending America's Cup champions Alinghi won the match-racing Act 4 last week. Team New Zealand were second.

The series will continue, alternating between fleet racing and match racing, until the Louis Vuitton Challenger series for the America's Cup, also off Valencia in 2007.

* Results

1. Luna Rossa Challenge (2, 6, 6, 1, 4) 46
2. Alinghi (3, 7, 2, 2, 5) 46
3. Emirates Team New Zealand (1, 9, 1, 5, 6) 43
4. BMW Oracle Racing (5, 5, 3, 3, 10) 39
5. Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team (12, 1, 5, 7, 2) 38
6. Victory Challenge (4, 2, 7, dsq, 3) 36
7. K-Challenge (7, 4, 4, 6, 9) 35
8. Desaf o Espa ol 2007 (8, 8, 9, 8, 1) 31
9. +39 Challenge (10, 3, 10, 9, 7) 26
10. United internet Team Germany (6, 11, 8, 4, 11) 25
11. China Team (11,12,12,10,8) 12
12. Team Shosholoza (9, 10, 11, 11,12) 1 2

- NZPA