Sailing: Team Origin downs Alinghi
Associated Press
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Team Origin beat America's Cup-holder Alinghi by 36 seconds on the third day of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series sailing regatta Sunday.
The victory made an immediate mark on the 10-team event and stamped the British team as a one to watch in future Cups.
With Olympic yachting gold medalist Ben Ainslie on the helm, Origin gained control of Sunday's race in the pre-start and established a lead that it held on all four legs of the windward-leeward circuit.
Alinghi's American helmsman, Ed Baird, seemed in control as the teams approached the start on port tack, but Ainslie, the Olympic Finn class champion, pulled off an aggressive move, luffing the Swiss yacht and forcing it across the line a second early.
The Cup-holder was forced to make a complete turn to recross the line and Team Origin pulled away to lead by more than a minute at the top mark. Though its lead was cut to 41 seconds at the leeward mark and to 36 seconds when yachts rounded the top mark for a second time, Ainslie kept control of the race to give his team a significant victory.
Damiani Italia Challenge beat France's Pataugas K-Challenge by 45 seconds for its second win of the regatta.
San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing controlled its match against the China Team from the pre-start, where China was penalized for gybing too close to the American boat. The yachts started on split tacks and Oracle helmsman Russell Coutts steered his team to a 24-second lead at the first mark.
World match racing champion Ian Williams, at the helm of the Chinese boat, closed the margin on the first downwind leg and again on the second beat, but China Team blew out its headsail on the run to the finish and gave up more time when it completed a penalty turn.
The fourth match of the day between Italy's Luna Rossa and Team Shosholoza of South Africa was first delayed because of a mechanical problem on the South African yacht, then postponed until Monday because of strong winds.
Hosts Team New Zealand and the Greek Challenge had byes Sunday. Racing concludes Feb. 14.
