Yachting: Racing, as good as it gets

Emirates Team New Zealand has fought hard to see off the challenge of Azzurra. Photo / Getty Images

First, there was that blistering, razor's edge, penalty turn; then yesterday's last-minute change of call at the pre-start; and a ding-dong scrap with Mascalzone Latino - Emirates Team New Zealand have had to dig deep to outdo the Italians.

Francesco Bruni's Azzurra, the team who claimed ETNZ's scalp at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice last year, were seen off but only after that now renowned, perfectly-calculated penalty turn on Friday to even up the semifinal 1-1.

In the decider yesterday Dean Barker, in-form tactician Ray Davies and their crew produced another fine piece of sailing intuition and execution to see off Azzurra.

In a tight pre-start, ETNZ looked all set to take the favoured left-hand side of the course. Just before the start line, came a call to go right.

The decision was made instantly and, even though Azzurra had slightly the better of the start, the Kiwis began to profit from their choice with better breeze.

The Italians, however, are extremely good sailors in light airs and it wasn't until the top mark that ETNZ finally shook them free.

It was another top piece of seamanship, ETNZ forcing Azzurra to luff before the top mark and then performing a faultess gybe-set, pulling away from the Italians.

That 10s lead was suddenly magnified - out to 130m ahead at one stage, more than five boat lengths - and they maintained their form to the finish and the final; a best-of-five series against Mascalzone Latino.

ETNZ won the only race in that series to be held yesterday, with a decisive rounding of the bottom mark.

Barker, again favouring the left, threw the boat into an immediate tack to the right as Davies called for a switch and found the wind again.

Mascalzone skipper Gavin Brady hounded them but couldn't quite bridge the 12s gap after they'd previously passed the Kiwis on the run.

The scene is thus set for a good finish today, with ETNZ's renowned team work appearing at its most polished and precise right now.

However, any predictions should be viewed with caution: "Conditions are really tricky out there," said Barker yesterday.

"No lead seems big enough. The race against Mascalzone Latino was tight and aggressive and you can expect more of the same."

The standard of racing was definitely on the rise - even from the last Trophy regatta in Nice.

"The conditions put a lot more emphasis on crew work," he said, "and while it's great that the quality levels are rising at every event, it doesn't make our job any easier when it comes to staying at the sharp end."

Asked about the rise in Italian sailing, Barker said: "They have some very talented sailors and a lot of the guys have been heavily involved with America's Cup-class yachts and know the boats very well.

"Mascalzone isn't as Italian in their crew make-up as Azzurra is - Mascalzone is a bit more mix and match - but they have both done a lot of practising in Valencia for this regatta and are great competitors."

The racing over the last two days has been so intensively close that it brought to mind that famous finish in the last race of the 2007 America's Cup in Valencia, when Alinghi retained the Cup.

In a thrilling finish, ETNZ had to complete a penalty turn and looked dead and buried as the race came to an end. But they caught a huge windshift, rocketed home, and screeched into their penalty turn like a F1 car on two wheels.

Alinghi was chugging home at the same time and slipped over the line at the same instant the Kiwis did.

For a moment, Valencia stood still. No one - the sailors, the media, the judges, seemed quite sure who had won. And then came the news - Alinghi by one second.

It was a race and an outcome which rather confirmed that America's Cup sailing - and the Cup-class yachts - were in good heart and in a good space (as opposed to some of the off-water stuff in Valencia).

It also compared favourably with that admittedly fascinating (but ultimately one-sided) contest between the two giant, technologically-charged and obscenely expensive multihulls of Alinghi and Oracle in the last edition of the America's Cup.

The latter wrested the Cup from the Swiss after two and a half years of legal tedium, finger-pointing, sabre-rattling and a barrage of press releases that must surely have accounted for an entire Indonesian rain forest.

No - tight, competitive racing in near-identical yachts where crew work is the deciding factor is about as good as it gets. There may not be any Valencia-style, heart-attack finishes in today's finals.

Then again, there could be...