Sixteen days were needed to determine a winner. Only once in the 152-year history of the America's Cup has the decision taken longer: in 1899, the American "Columbia" needed 18 days to defeat the British challenger "Shamrock".
Even if it wasn't enough for the longest regatta on the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland/New Zealand, other records were broken. Of five races, two were decided prematurely due to material breakage, the first race just 17 minutes after the start. Never before has a defender had to concede two victories to the challenger without a fight. However, the remaining three matches turned into the closest final since 1850.
An average of 25 seconds separated the opponents at the finish. The thrilling second match is even regarded as the fourth longest finish of all time. On the last downwind leg, "Alinghi" overtook the defender in light winds and crossed the finish line just seven seconds ahead of him. However, compared to the third race between "Shamrock IV" (owned by Sir Thomas Lipton) and "Resolute", this finish could be seen as a clear victory. In March 1920, the two America's Cup veterans reached the finish line at exactly the same time.
Russell Coutts set two more records as skipper of the Swiss ship "Alinghi". With 14 AC victories in a row, Coutts dethroned the previous record holder, the American Dennis Conner, who had achieved a total of 13 victories in the past. Charlie Barr (9 wins in a row as skipper) now also takes second place behind Russell Coutts.
Five crew members of the "Alinghi" even experienced one more victory than their skipper Coutts. Brad Butterworth, Murray Jones, Warwick Fleury, Simon Daubney and Dean Phipps sailed the "Black Magic" to the AC triumph in 2000. During the decisive race, Russell Coutts stepped down in favour of his pupil Dean Barker (now helmsman for Team New Zealand) at the helm.
