Photos: Best of the America's CupKEY POINTS:
VALENCIA - Team New Zealand, facing the daunting task of having to win all three remaining races in the America's Cup, will look to "close the deal" if they sail into a position of advantage again off Valencia.
Team NZ trail 4-2 and one more defeat means the
cup will back in the hands of Swiss defenders Alinghi.
So far in the regatta, the maxim that the boat in front after the opening leg more often than not goes on to victory hasn't been borne out.
Like SUI100, NZL32 has led around the first mark three times, but they have failed to make it count in the last two races, allowing Alinghi to come back and take control.
Strategist Ray Davies said Team NZ's crew were generally happy with how they had been performing but wanted to improve their conversion rate.
The weather-enforced postponement yesterday and the rest day today provided an opportunity to analyse ways of doing that.
"We feel we've been sailing well in the last couple of races," he said.
"We've been getting ahead at the top mark, but just not been able to close the deal. So we've got time to reflect a bit more on where we are and then come back out firing."
One feature of the competition on the Mediterranean over the past week and a half is how much the leeward gate has come into play.
This cup regatta is the first to have a choice of two turning marks at the bottom of the course.
It means the trailing boat can play for a bit of lateral separation, and possibly better breeze, up the next beat.
In race two, the boats rounded opposite marks and Team NZ ended up overtaking Alinghi on the next leg on the way to a series-tying victory.
In the incident-packed race three, Team NZ lost part of a huge lead when a windshift forced a change of decision over which buoy to round, leading to a messy spinnaker drop.
Skipper Dean Barker and his crew did get passed on the next beat, before coming from behind themselves on the run home to snatch a famous win.
In race four, Team NZ used the opposite end of the gate to close in on Alinghi as the Swiss hit a flat patch. This time, the defenders managed to stay in front to level the match.
In race six, with NZL92 in the lead, the crews again rounded different marks, and the split that SUI100 got eventually allowed it to make the decisive pass up the next leg.
Davies was all in favour of having a leeward gate, saying it was a great innovation even if it had made his job and that of the rest of the afterguard more difficult.
"It really gives the boat behind an opportunity to stay in the race and we've seen it a couple of times where there have been passes," he said.
"We've been on the wrong side of one and Alinghi have been on the wrong side of one. It's definitely a good thing for match-racing."
He said Team NZ had spent plenty of time looking at on-board systems to monitor which side of the gate was favoured as they approached.
"We've not been able to develop anything," he said.
"It comes down to your eyes, at the end of the day. You just have to look at it. That's the best way to judge, but it's very difficult to pick up which mark is going to be favoured. You can only go off what the trends have been in the weather."
Today's rest day is the last one scheduled. From now on, weather permitting, the crews will go out each day until the destination of the Auld Mug is decided.
The forecast for tomorrow is promising. Early afternoon seabreezes of 10 to 12 knots are expected to build to about 15 to 17 knots around race time.
- NZPA
