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Team New Zealand reeled off a hat-trick of wins against America's Cup holders Alinghi today to overturn a 0-1 overnight deficit and claim the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series yachting title off Auckland.
Each victory ended up being surprisingly comfortable for skipper Dean Barker and his crew, who put a mid-regatta slump behind them to sweep past their Swiss opponents.
The margins were 29 seconds, 33sec and 20sec, with Team NZ controlling each start and leading at every mark on the way to a 3-1 result over the syndicate that beat them in the 2007 America's Cup final in Spain.
In what turned out to be the final race of the two-week Pacific Series, both boats crossed the startline on starboard tack.
During a drag race out to the left-hand side of the course, Team NZ, to windward, inched ahead and were a length in front when Alinghi tacked back and the yachts crossed for the first time.
After a tacking duel, Barker was able to push rival helmsman Ed Baird out beyond the layline and rounded the top mark 28sec ahead.
Alinghi had problems hoisting their spinnaker on the ensuing downwind leg, but managed to hook into some breeze to half the gap by the bottom gate.
The margin remained much the same at end of the third leg, but again Alinghi were slow in putting up their spinnaker at the start of the run home and lost ground.
- NZPA
