Yachting: Team NZ win Medcup regatta

Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton. Brett Phibbs

An ultra-consistent Team New Zealand has won the latest regatta of the MedCup yachting circuit off Marseille, France, today to claim the overall series lead.

NZL 380 recorded four wins, two seconds and two third placings during the 10 race programme, giving Team NZ the Marseille Trophy comfortably from America's Quantum Racing.

Team NZ had a 16-point buffer heading into the final two races - finishing sixth in the first before the final race was abandoned due to difficult weather conditions.

Team NZ's eventual 14-point winning margin represents the biggest victory margin in the MedCup since Mean Machine won in Portimao in 2007 and allowed them to improve from second overall and replace original leaders Matador of Argentina.

By never finishing worse than sixth, the Dean Barker-skippered team now have a 16-point lead on the overall standings. Defending champions Quantum are their closest challenger.

"We were unlikely to lose this regatta when we went out," said Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton.

"Conditions were going to be tricky so the goal was to play the long game and not lose too many points."

Quantum were unable to bridge the gap after finishing fourth in the final race.

"We sailed better than we did (the last regatta) in Alicante and the boat's going well," Dalton said.

"We combined really well, there was a good feeling on board, we never panicked and there was never a bad situation that we could not recover."

The third leg of the five regatta series is held off Sardinia in Italy between July 20-25.

- NZPA