LVPS

With a guaranteed place in the finals and being on home waters, Team New Zealand might seem to be a certain winner of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, but it may not be quite so cut and dried. The Kiwi team boys haven’t exactly done much practicing together, since getting defeated by Alinghi in AC 32, and that has got to have an effect.

That said, they are making up for it now, with a series of practice races against BMW Oracle, in the days before the other teams arrive in Auckland. There’ve been a few breakages and near collisions, but both teams are being conservative, where it comes to staying out when the winds get up. A lot depends on having these four yachts intact at the end of the month! What’s the betting that these practice races are a preview of the LVPS finals? Pic from Gilles Martin-Raget and more here.