Yachting: Baird's back to tackle top sailors

Ed Baird has been knocked from his No 1 perch but is expected to be a force this week. Picture / Richard Robinson

Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird and his crew are among 10 teams lining up in the Auckland Match Racing Cup which starts on the Waitemata Harbour today.

Yesterday's wild weather ruled out any chance of a practice run, but condition are expected to ease today.

Baird, a familiar figure in New Zealand, through his commentary role during the last America's Cup and his association with Team New Zealand in 1995, arrived in Auckland on Monday fresh from a regatta in the United States.

The usually chatty Baird was a little subdued, feeling the effects of the travel and the dieting necessary to ensure he and his crew met the 437.5kg weight limit.

However the twinkle in the eyes of the world No 2 soon returned when discussing the regatta ahead.

"It is a good field isn't it? It is great to be back in Auckland. I have missed being here a lot.

"I love match racing. It is a fun part of the sport ... for me it is the kind of racing I get the most excitement out of."

Baird hasn't competed in a match racing regatta with the Alinghi crew he has brought here and admits it has been some time since he set foot on an MRX yacht.

"It's been a while, I don't think I have sailed them this century."

However there is no denying the American, who has just been knocked off the top position in the ISAF world rankings, is one of the craftiest at getting a small boat around a course ahead of his opponent.

However, with three other skippers ranked in the top 10 in the world and six Cup sailors all competing, he faces plenty of opposition.

Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker said the course would make for some interesting sailing.

"It is a difficult bit of water to sail in.

"There are strong tides and at times the course can be very one-sided so it does place a bit of emphasis on starting and attacking the first beat well."

Barker said the MRX yachts were not particularly manoeuvrable so it was possible to control an opponent in a pre-start "if you do a good job".

While such regattas were good for honing match-racing skills, Barker said they would not necessarily command bragging rights come next year's America's Cup.

"With the America's Cup, as we have seen many times before, it is boat speed and being able to sail the boats well that will get you to the result you are looking for."

For Barker the regatta is possibly a welcome break from the monotonous testing programme at Team New Zealand.

With the race headquarters located at the old Alinghi base next door to Team New Zealand, the syndicate wisely kept their shed doors shut in an effort to keep prying eyes away from their new yacht, NZL84.

They are taking the opportunity to complete odd jobs on the boat.

"It is still early days, we have a lot to learn about it. Right now all we are trying to do is quantify how it is performing relative to what we expect.

"We feel we have made steps in the right direction but it is still too early to make any strong statements or comparisons," Barker said.

Auckland Match Racing Cup
* Venue: Waitemata Harbour, outside Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
* When: Today to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
* Competing: Sebastian Col (K-Challenge), Chris Dickson (BMW Oracle), Bertrand Pace (BMW Oracle), Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand), Ed Baird (Alinghi), Cameron Appleton (K-Challenge), Ian Williams (Great Britain), Staffan Lindberg (Finland), Magnus Holmberg (Victory Challenge) and Mathieu Richard (France).