Smoked
Passions were at gale force, like the breeze forecast for the evening, following yesterday’s heart stopping one second win to Alinghi. Race officials were keen to ensure the challenger final completed before a southerly front blasted the city and Alinghi and BMWO headed out in the two New Zealand boats before 9am, with winds on the gulf blowing a steady 15knots, low cloud and mist shrouding the dormant volcanoes and Auckland’s ‘Sky Tower’. The seas were building and tide on the ebb across the start line down the course; the photogs strapped themselves to the front of the ribs!
A maximum of two races were planned for the day, the first team to record two wins moving forward to meet Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton cup final, comprising of seven races staring on Valentines day.
