Yachting: Well-drilled Team NZ take lead

Emirates Team New Zealand bowman Stuart Bettany piles on the pressure with a tight manoeuvre. Photo / Getty Images

A snarling America's Cup boat turned and bit TeamOrigin squarely on the nose yesterday, reminding the world's best sailors that machines were still the master in the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

The British team, with its afterguard packed to the gunwales with Olympic medallists and one of only two survivors from last year's Auckland regatta, got in a tangle when they were leading Emirates Team New Zealand halfway through their race yesterday - trying to make the boat, NZL92, do things it refused to do.

They snapped the spinnaker pole, jammed the headsail and gennaker, and limped off the Waitemata racecourse, leaving Team NZ to trot to the finish alone for the second day running.

"They're difficult boats to sail and they will bite you. But that's what makes it so great," said TeamOrigin bowman Matt Mitchell.

The former Team NZ and Alinghi sailor doubted he had ever made a similar gaffe in 14 years sailing these complex cup boats, but he hoped the Brits' young engine-room crew wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

They weren't alone. As the wind in the inner harbour whipped up to 22 knots in the following race, the previously unbeaten Azzurra team struggled to control their sails under pressure, losing to the shrewd heads on All4One, who dragged them to all the extremes of the 1.4 mile legs.

Later, NZL92 broke a winch in Mascalzone Latino Audi's 55s win over the French Aleph team.

As Team NZ tactician Ray Davies pointed out: "It's hard getting these big boats around these short courses."

TeamOrigin is one of the most serious campaigns on the Louis Vuitton Trophy circuit, but their start to this regatta has not been flash - one win from three. Still, Mitchell says, it's early days, and he's confident the team can make the top four.

"We may not get the Willie Wonka golden tickets next week, but that means we just do the extra sailing to make the top four, and that's okay," he says.

The so-called golden tickets are free passes to the semis, gifted to the top two teams from next week's elimination round.

Mitchell's optimism is well-founded.

TeamOrigin skipper Ben Ainslie made a strong start against his old teammates Dean Barker and Team NZ, controlling the first beat after tactician Iain Percy encouraged Ainslie to take the right.

When the wind shifted at the top mark, the Kiwis rounded neatly, pouring pressure on Ainslie downwind.

The British afterguard were forced to make a snap decision as they went to round the bottom gate, but it was too late for the foredeck to adjust, and that's when things cracked, literally.

Team NZ boss Grant Dalton put down his team's unbeaten run this far to taking calculated risks on the water. "We are pushing some of our manoeuvres tighter than we've ever pushed them, and we're getting away with them - just because it's very drilled. The key is communication on board, and it's very, very good. It takes years to get to this point, and sometimes it never happens."

Team NZ now lead the round-robin on three points, one clear of Azzurra, All4One and Artemis; the Swedes denying Russian Synergy their first win of the event, after Synergy skipper Karol Jabolonski gybed too close in a lively pre-start and incurred the first penalty awarded in Auckland.

TODAY'S RACING
Late last night today's round was cancelled because of forecast 30 knot winds.