Day One of Racing - Thursday
 

October 14, 2004
 

Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 3 – Fleet Race 1
It was a special sight, seeing eight America’s Cup Class yachts charging at the starting line to begin the final Act of the 2004 season at the America’s Cup. Team Alinghi, mid-line seemed to be a nose ahead of the opposition, with K-Challenge hard left at the pin and +39 on the right.

BMW ORACLE streaked up the left side of the race course, and led around the top mark with Emirates Team New Zealand close behind. Luna Rossa, which trailed the entire fleet at the start, was still deep in the fleet at the first mark. The Italians gybed immediate around the offset mark however and the tactic worked with Luna Rossa streaking down the right hand side of the race course, and leading BMW ORACLE by one-second through the leeward gate.

While BMW ORACLE and Luna Rossa elected to take the left side upwind, Emirates Team New Zealand went out far to the right. With LE DEFI following them, the Kiwis picked up an enormous lift on their side of the course, and rode it into a big lead, with the French team the only other to capitalize. While it was a good first race for LE DEFI, their French cousins on K-Challenge weren’t as fortunate and trailed the fleet across the finish line.

Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 3 – Fleet Race 2
As with the first race, this contest began in a good breeze, a 10-12 knot Southwesterly, and with plenty of action on the starting line. With Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand mid line, K-Challenge skipper Thierry Peponnet repeated his trick of starting left at the pin, while Shosholoza and BMW ORACLE engaged in some aggressive tactics near the Committee Boat. The South Africans came off much better in the exchange, with BMW ORACLE assigned a penalty by the on-the-water Umpires.

By the time the Americans had completed their penalty turn, most of the fleet was heading well upwind of them and BMW ORACLE would be in last place around the windward mark. While the first lap of the course set the table for this race, the real action came in slow motion on the final run to the finish, when the wind completely died before building gently from the opposite direction. K-Challenge, which had rounded the second windward mark in third position was able to carry its spinnaker longer than Team Alinghi, and Emirates Team New Zealand ahead of it, and at one point appeared to be leading on the leg, although it couldn’t hold its advantage and was eventually beaten to the finish.

Team Alinghi beat Emirates Team New Zealand in a slow motion, photo-finish, with the boats overlapped, and the Swiss boat just a fraction ahead. Luna Rossa and Team Shosholoza also made nice gains on this leg at the expense of BMW ORACLE and LE DEFI, while +39 had the worst time of it, coming home in last place for the race, and on the overall points table.

- - - From AC Management