KEY POINTS:
Team New Zealand now have belief, they know they can compete and they know they are fast enough.
Alinghi went into the America's Cup believing they were going to blow away the challenger. It is not the case.
Alinghi will now know they are in for a scrap,
which will be different for the Kiwis on Alinghi who have always been on a faster boat.
We have now seen some chinks in Alinghi's armour, namely their decision-making and the design of their spinnakers which has shown a few flaws.
For Team New Zealand, their defeats in the challenger series have made them stronger and were probably good for them.
Alinghi are not used to losing and I have no doubt they will come back. But if the wind continues to be a bit fluky, the Kiwis are match-hardened and ready.
Alinghi are now looking over their shoulders. When New Zealand got that wind shift up the first beat yesterday Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird looked over his shoulder and went "Oh f***". You know that is a negative thought, you know that it is affecting them.
The work of Team New Zealand strategist Ray Davies and windspotter Adam Beashel in terms of their role in the afterguard and getting that pass in the final run yesterday was huge.
Beashel and Davies complement each other. In the final cup pre-regatta last year Davies was the most valuable player in the afterguard and that has only been enhanced.
Team New Zealand's weather call yesterday was spot on.
It was always going to be a difficult day for both teams but Team New Zealand's weatherman Roger Badham nailed the first shift.
Off the line the Kiwis wanted the right and it was a must right.
They lost the start to get the right.
In the first three races the weather teams have won the first crosses. Alinghi won the first two and Team New Zealand won yesterday's by miles.
At the top mark Alinghi were 1min 23sec behind. As you would expect from Alinghi they didn't chuck the towel in on the downwind.
The New Zealanders were forced into a position by the weather to make an error at the bottom mark. They made a late call to change what mark they rounded which resulted in an error.
Mid bowman Richard Meacham fell in. He was going out to release the tack to let the sail go from the end of the spinnaker and he went into the drink.
It would have been an absolute calamity had he fallen in but he did hang on, which was pretty huge.
From there the take-down was an absolute mess. The spinnaker got caught over the top of the genoa sheet. They did well to not destroy the gennaker, obviously they like that one.
Pitman Barry McKay was treating it like a baby: it would have been very easy to get a knife out and cut it free.
Then they did two tacks and it still didn't clear so they had to cut the jib sheet.
They had a lot going on to save that sail and to free it. All of that meant they were compromised and handicapped.
The calmness of the boat, the routines they operate all got upset. Alinghi's pass spanned from the botch-up at the bottom mark.
The Swiss team made the New Zealanders play their game even though the Kiwis were still ahead, which compounded into yet another lead change.
Then on the final downwind I was quite dumbfounded how much separation Alinghi gave the Kiwis. At one stage there was over a kilometre and a half between them.
It took 8 degrees of windshift and New Zealand got back in front.
If Alinghi lose another one then the momentum will be clearly swinging in New Zealand's favour.
