Yachting: Team NZ continue winning ways

Team NZ wrapped up the Portugal Trophy with a race to spare. Photo / Chris Cameron, ETNZ

Team New Zealand have set out their marker by winning the opening event in the MedCup yachting series today.

Two second placings left the New Zealanders confident and comfortable winners of the opening round of the five-event series off Cascais in Portugal, giving them the ideal start to the defence of the MedCup title won last year.

The reigning champions proved they had lost none of their competitive edge with a resounding victory in the Portugal Trophy, which they wrapped up with one race to spare.

On another day of muscular breezes which produced fantastic racing conditions off Sintra, just to the west of Cascais, Team NZ established an unassailable regatta lead entering the final race.

It marked their fifth successive regatta title and earned them a 20-point over Franco-German circuit newcomers AudiA1 heading to the second event in Marseille, France, on June 15-20.

The tough conditions produced a bruising final day which placed big demands on crew work and equipment.

Skipper Dean Barker and his crew registered two second placings today, behind Bigamist7 of Portugal and Quantum Racing of the United States to finish the regatta on 31.5 points, well clear of the combined France-Germany entry Audi A1, with Sweden's Artemis third on 57.

Team NZ's overall win was testament to their stickability after they began the regatta in less than illustrious fashion by posting placings of sixth and 11th in the 11-boat field.

"The two first races were well below the standard we expected to sail at," Barker said.

"And then the third race of the day we sort of bounced back but really after that I think we sailed a very, very strong regatta.

"I think in the remaining races, we achieved everything we set out to do and it was really a case of the other teams having races which dropped them back into the pack a little bit so we just remained consistent.

"The standard here was very high, so it makes it a tougher challenge to keep improving."

- NZPA