Skipper and helmsman Jesper Bank's aggression was not rewarded on Thursday. An annoying early start spoilt Team Germany's successful start to the pre-regattas for the America's Cup off Trapani.
After a brilliant pre-start phase by the Germans skippered by Jesper Bank (Denmark), who put their highly favoured US opponents under pressure several times, the bow of the GER-72 crossed the start line just centimetres too early in the duel against Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing.
In order to recover from the early start, skipper Jesper Bank (Denmark) and his crew had to return to the line and cross it again. "We wanted to start on the right, but we knew it would be close," admitted 48-year-old double Olympic champion Bank. "Unfortunately, we were just a little too early."
The United Internet Team Germany was unable to recover from this deficit in the course of the first duel in the Louis Vuitton Act 8 off Sicily. In the end, USA-76 had a lead of 2 minutes and 12 seconds at the finish.
After the teams were given a rapturous welcome by around 20,000 fans at the opening ceremony in sailing-mad Italy on Wednesday evening and were treated to a twenty-minute firework spectacle, Acts 8 and 9 at the end of the America's Cup season will also see the teams compete for the title of America's Cup Champion 2005 from today.
Before the start of the series, the defenders from the Swiss team Alinghi (47 points) with sports director Jochen Schümann were clearly in the lead. The three-time Olympic champion is the strategist for the series off Sicily. His US colleague Ed Baird takes the helm.
A fierce battle for the vice-championship has broken out between Alinghi's pursuers BMW Oracle Racing (USA/41 points), Emirates Team New Zealand (40 points) and Luna Rossa (Italy/40 points). The German team is in tenth place in the interim standings with 15 points, while the South African team Shosholoza (7 points) with Hamburg boat captain Tim Kröger and new tactician Dee Smith (USA) is in eleventh place.
