Thin end at the top, pointed end at the front. Balance in sailing can be described so simply. But sometimes, such as yesterday at the AC 45 fleet race final in Plymouth, practice doesn't live up to the promises of theory. With five to six force winds, the wheat was separated from the chaff, meaning that only the top teams, with the exception of "Artemis Racing", had their equipment under control at all times. The spectators didn't care, because they got what was promised: Drama and acrobatics.
And Australian Jimmy Spithill showed why he and his team from "Oracle Racing" are actually far better than fifth place in match racing would suggest. In the final round, they distanced themselves from their only serious rivals, Team New Zealand and Oracle stablemate Russell Coutts. "Honestly, I thought we had a bit left in the tank," beamed Spithill. "We had a bit of San Francisco conditions. The wind strength was comparable, but the gusts and spins challenged everyone today. What a great race, very entertaining."
Second place went to the match race winners from "Team New Zealand" with Dean Barker, who were able to keep "Oracle Racing Coutts" at bay. Behind them, the field was pretty light, because when the wind picked up, "Energy Team", "Artemis Racing", "China Team" and "GreenComm" found themselves in unfavourable situations, with the top of the mast close to the water. In addition, "Artemis" shot down "GreenCom" before the start, causing Vasilij Zbogar, the Slovenian helmsman of the Spaniards, to go overboard and injure his hand. The boat was also perforated, meaning that the race was over for "GreenComm" before it had even started.
The old chestnut Bertrand Pace took advantage of the various problems of the others with "Aleph" and sailed to fourth place, followed by "Team Korea", which no longer looked so fresh after its sensational second place in the match race. "Energy Team" and the Chinese were able to right their boats after capsizing and sail on, with "China Team" finishing just six seconds ahead of the time limit.
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The next stop for the America's Cup World Series is San Diego in mid-November, where the wind and weather are likely to be a little more temperate than in Plymouth. The Match Racing Championship will be held from Wednesday 16 November. All races will again be shown live on TV and on the Internet.
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