Once again a lull has spoilt the start of an America's Cup regatta. The wind and weather did not want to co-operate on Monday.
New Zealand race officer Harold Bennett had to cancel the first meeting between Cup defender Alinghi and challenger BMW Oracle Racing after four hours of jostling between the multihull monsters off the Costa Azahar between Valencia and Gandía and postpone it until Wednesday.
In doing so, "God" - as the Cup sailors call the almighty race officer Bennett - paid tribute to the adverse winds of between two and seven knots and the associated gybes. The highest authority of this Cup regatta deemed a fair encounter impossible.
The eagerly awaited first duel between the Cup giants Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing cannot continue for another two days, as the old foundation charter stipulates. The document in its last version from 1887 stipulates that there must always be at least one free weekday between two races. The court judgement, which is responsible for the difficult date in February, makes things even more difficult. Rolf Vrolijk explains: "In the months of January/February, there is an average of ten sailing days in total."
The slow-motion start reminded many of the more than 800 journalists on site of the gruelling waiting times at the 32nd Americas Cup in April 2007, when the challenger round (Louis Vuitton Cup) could only begin after a nine-day wait. This meant, among other things, that an extensively planned live report by ZDF was cancelled. In the 31st America's Cup in 2003, unstable conditions in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland also led to an involuntary nine-day break in the Cup duel between the then rivals Alinghi and Team New Zealand when the score was 3-0. Harold Bennett was already the race officer and sufferer in one person back then, but handled the situation and the sometimes very heated tempers with humour and calm, just as he does today.
For the teams in the 33rd Americas Cup, the current postponement means a new test of nerves. Everyone involved had been eagerly awaiting the start on the water after a two-and-a-half-year battle in court. "We finally want to sail and see where we stand," was not only Alinghi's chief designer Rolf Vrolijk's wish. The teams are now taking their hopes of gaining clear insights into the true potential of their opponents into their 48-hour forced break.
The crew line-up for both teams is unlikely to change much between now and Wednesday: The Swiss team will have 44-year-old boss Ernesto Bertarelli at the wheel, while 30-year-old Australian James Spithill will be at the helm for the US team. Alinghi will line up with 14 crew members, including three Swiss. The Americans are relying on a crew of ten with only one American on board. Owner Larry Ellison and CEO Russell Coutts are not on board.
The weather experts at the international press centre are predicting stormy winds for Tuesday, but very light winds again for Wednesday. The 33rd Cup duel will be held in "best of three" mode: whoever records two victories wins the regatta for the oldest sporting trophy in the world.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
