The races started on the morning by flght 8. But there was some change in the ranings before the start as the match between Alinghi and GBR Challenge will have to be raced again.

Flight 8

• Match 1 Orm SWE 73 wins against Wight Lightning GBR 70 (1’ 01")

In a 15 knot breeze from 260 degrees, GBR Challenge entered from the port end of the line. Both boats went into a dial-up for 95 seconds, before sailing back towards the right hand side of the line. Wight Lightning elected to sail deep and as gybed inside the Swedish team as they headed back for the line to maintain control as the leeward boat. As both boats headed towards the middle of the line, Wight Lightning was leeward and ahead of Orm, distrupting the flow of air onto SWE 73’s sails. The British team then bore away to take the pin end of the line. Orm crossed four seconds later in the middle of the line but immediately sailed higher than GBR 70 to recover the starting deficit.

As both boats headed to the left hand side of the course, Orm continued to sail higher than GBR 70 and increased the gauge between the two teams. Wight Lightning tacked and at the first cross, Orm was able to tack on top of the British team and gain control of the race. The Swedish team continued to cover Harrison‚s men and tack on top of the British team at every opportunity to extend their lead. At the weather mark, Orm had a 43 second lead and was far enough in front of GBR 70 to prevent Wight Lightning from affecting her wind down the first run.

The Swedish boat, that has shown good heavy air speed throughout the regatta, pulled away to lead by 61 seconds at the leeward mark. On the second beat, Victory again chose to cover GBR 70 until halfway up the course when the British team sailed to the right hand side of the course. Initially the move paid as the wind swung to the right, and the Swedes lead was cut to 30 seconds. However, the wind moved back to the left and Victory re-established the advantage to lead by one minute and 28 seconds at the final mark.

Source GBR Challenge

• Match 2 Le Defi FRA 69 wins against OneWorld USA 67 (57")

OneWorld and the French challenger, Le Defi AREVA, had a close start today in flight eight of Round Robin 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. OneWorld caught a windshift and gained the lead early in the first leg rounding the top mark 20 seconds ahead of the French. USA 67 stretched its lead in the first downwind run to 26 seconds as they approached the second mark. While dropping the spinnaker, the sail dropped into the water and proceeded to wrap itself around the keel and then the rudder causing the boat to stall. The French took advantage of the opportunity and sailed away leaving the OneWorld team to recover the sail before they could continue racing. Le Defi AREVA maintained their lead and while OneWorld fought back and gained considerably they weren’t able to catch the French before crossing finish line on the shortened race course.

Source OneWorld Challenge

• Match 3 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 wins against Alinghi SUI 64 (4")

Very close match between the two Kiwi skippers at the helmof foreign boats. Chris dickson has not been impressed by his new come back at the helm of Orace Racing IACC boat and by his prestigious compatriot unbeaten from the start of this second round robin. Then Dickson offers a very important win to Larry Ellison by offering him the head of the winner of the 2001 Cup !

• Match 4 Stars & Stripes USA 66 wins against Mascalzone Latino ITA 72 (1’ 09")

Stars & Stripes won a race and lost a race today in the Second Round Robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup series as syndicate head Dennis Conner took the helm for one race, swapping off with regular skipper Ken Read for the other.

Conner, undertaking his 9th America‚s Cup campaign, took the helm of his New York Yacht Club challenger Stars & Stripes for the morning race against Mascalzone Latino, leading the Italian challenger around the 12.5-mile course and winning by one minute and nine seconds.

Source Team Dennis Conner

Flight 4

• Match 1 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 wins against Stars & Stripes USA 66 (18")

In the afternoon race, Read took over and attacked the American Oracle BMW challenger USA-76 from San Francisco in a spirited battle that halfway around the course, had the contestants overlapped just before the first leeward mark. USA-76 led around that mark by just nine seconds. The San Francisco boat made small gains on both weather legs but lost ground to the New York boat downwind, and finished just 18 seconds in front.

– Ken Read - Stars and Stripes : "This was a good day for us, despite the loss. We found a new gear upwind in heavy air and we’re continuing to improve. Our crew did a great job in very testing conditions that saw other boats losing spinnakers and breaking spinnaker poles."

Source Team Dennis Conner

• Match 2 Wight Lightning GBR 70 wins against Le Defi FRA 69 (14")

After a slight delay to wait for the wind to average under the requisite 19 knots, the breeze abated to 18 knots from 270 degrees and the Race Committee started a sequence. As the five minute gun went, the British team entered from the port hand side, but the French team was late into the starting box. The vital breathing space allowed GBR Challenge to sail deep into the start box, underneath FRA 69. Le Defi Areva gybed to follow before both boats circled to kill time. GBR 70 led back to the line on starboard tack, with Luc Pillot to windward. The French crossed as the gun went, with Wight Lightning sailing over the line two seconds later.

Both boats continued to the left hand side, as a drag race developed. Le Defi Areva managed to hold their windward position and sail all the way to the layline, before tacking to lead towards the mark. The French rounded eight seconds ahead, and despite the British team sitting on their stern quarter for most of the run, were able to maintain their lead into the bottom mark.

Le Defi Areva rounded 10 seconds ahead and continued to the left hand side of the course. Harrison’s men rounded the leeward mark and immediately tacked, allowing the British team to escape the stranglehold. With Ado Stead calling the shifts, the British tacked up the middle of the course and as the boats converged two thirds of the way up the beat it was the British team that was ahead. GBR 70, tacked on top of FRA 69 to force the French team off. As the teams came together again, the French threatened to duck behind Wight Lightning, with the British team reacting by sailing a lower course. FRA 69 was forced to tack under the starboard tack GBR 70, and Ian Walker took advantage of the controlling position to sail to the layline before tacking.

GBR Challenge held a 12 second lead at the second windward mark, with the French team covering Wight Lightning at the start of the run. The French team initially gained, but a slick gybe by Harrison’s team re-established control to the finish.

Source GBR Challenge

• Match 3 Alinghi SUI 64 against Luna Rossa ITA 74 (match abandoned due to
high winds)

At 13.30 the Committee announces a delay for the starts of the 3 matches scheduled in the afternoon, postponed from October 29, where Luna Rossa faces Alinghi. The delay is due to the strong breeze on the racing course.

The match of Luna Rossa starts at 14:55, with a moderate 16 knots breeze. It’s a very close start with the two boats on the line at the same time. Rod Davis takes the weather berth while Russell Coutts is on the left to leeward. Across the line Luna Rossa tacks and Alinghi follows shortly after, ITA 74 leads by a few meters. The wind shifts slightly to the left
favouring the Swiss. At the first windward mark Alinghi rounds with 14 seconds of advantage over Luna Rossa.

Immediately after the top mark Luna Rossa gybes and heads for the right of the course, while Alinghi shreds the spinnaker. The Swiss, who cannot gybe at this stage, have quite a lot of trouble in taking down the top part of the exploded sail, which later drags in the water. ITA 74 is thus able to close the gap and take the lead. The two boats are now sailing towards the bottom mark on opposite sides of the race course with a great lateral separation. Luna Rossa gybes in order to lay the mark and sails towards Alinghi. The two boats are now sailing one next to the other, with Alinghi in a controlling postion to leeward of Luna Rossa. When the crew on Alinghi breaks the spinnaker pole and has trouble in keeping control of the sail, Luna Rossa decides to drop the spinnaker and turn around by tacking away in order to free herself from the controlling position of Alinghi and reach
the mark in clear waters. Both crews seem to be struggling with their boat handling in the strong breeze, and the Swiss are able to round the bottom mark 10 seconds ahead of Luna Rossa.

The wind increases during the second beat and effectively blows above the 23 knots limit for over five minutes forcing the Race Committee to signal the abandonement of the race. The match between Alinghi and Luna Rossa will have to be resailed at a later date.

Source Prada Luna Rossa