Yachting: Team NZ on top in Sardinia

Team NZ skipper Dean Barker. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Team New Zealand stayed on top in the latest regatta of the MedCup yachting series today after a day where "winning ugly" was the key off the Italian island of Sardinia.

The Dean Barker-skippered crew on NZL380 had placings of fifth and second in two different and challenging courses set off Cagliari.

They head into the final day 4.5 points ahead of Swedish entry Artemis, who won the afternoon's first race, but were caught out by a huge windshift in the second and had to settle for seventh.

Team NZ boss Grant Dalton compared the racing to a scrappy rugby match.

"You're just winning ugly, trying to win," he said.

"That was the story of today, everything was ugly. The sailing wasn't good, the wind was light, the shifts were everywhere, so I think the thing with this team is that it just keeps its composure."

The final day's programme comprises three races and Dalton believed there were three boats left in the 13-strong fleet still in the running for top honours overall.

They were Team NZ, Artemis and Argentine yacht Matador, who are five points behind Team NZ.

Dalton indicated that the three-way battle, and the forecast of tricky conditions again tomorrow, would make tactical choices difficult.

"If it's shifty and you try to play the opposition, you end up stuffing yourself up," he said.

"The forecast is a little bit like today. It'll be up and down and so you just have to wait for what comes."

Artemis, with New Zealander Hamish Pepper on board as strategist, made a strong start in race one.

They were able to extend their lead up the first beat and rounded the top mark ahead of Bigamist (Portugal) and Bribon (Spain).

Both Bigamist and Bribon made mistakes with their gybe set and let Matador pass them.

Matador improved to second, while Bribon finished third.

Team NZ almost snatched fourth from Bigamist, but ran out of race track.

After a long delay as officials waited for a settled breeze, the second race began in what appeared to be reasonably good conditions.

However, at the windward mark, there was a sudden 50-degree shift that left leaders Artemis and Quantum Racing stranded in a hole. By the bottom mark, Artemis had dropped to 10th.

Bigamist crossed the finish line first, just 19 seconds ahead of Team NZ.

Cagliari is the third of five stops on the MedCup circuit, which is sailed in TP52s, and Team NZ lead the series overall by 23.5 points.

- NZPA