| The 32nd America's Cup Match was the most | | | | helmsman, causing all manner of trouble for his |
| extraordinary, intriguing, unpredictable Match in the | | | | opposite number on SUI 100, American driver Ed Baird. |
| event's 156-year history. Alinghi defended the Cup | | | | The Kiwis would hold the early advantage in a number |
| against challenger Emirates Team New Zealand | | | | of races, but for all Baird's failings in the pre-start, he |
| (ETNZ) by a seemingly healthy 5-2 margin, although | | | | was steering SUI 100 very well around the course, and |
| that scoreline does no justice to how close things | | | | the Swiss boat started to demonstrate an |
| were between these two bitter rivals. | | | | ever-so-small-but-significant advantage over NZL 92. |
| Why bitter? Not because of the 'defection' of key | | | | Subsequent races were also nailbiting affairs, with the |
| members of Team New Zealand after the 2000 Cup. | | | | lead changing on a number of occasions. But Race 7, |
| For most Kiwis, the departure of tactician Brad | | | | which would prove the final race of the 32nd |
| Butterworth and other important players to Alinghi is | | | | America's Cup, was perhaps the greatest Cup race of |
| now water under the bridge. No, the new reason to | | | | all time. It began with a typically aggressive pre-start, |
| re-open old wounds was ETNZ team head Grant | | | | both boats coming off the line neck and neck. After a |
| Dalton saying that if they won the Cup they would | | | | drag race out to the left, Alinghi was eventually forced |
| reintroduce nationality rules. | | | | to tack away, but superior tactics saw the Defender |
| Arguably the only nation that would be capable of | | | | lead narrowly around the windward mark in 17-18 knots |
| fielding an exclusively home-grown crew of | | | | of wind. |
| world-class standard is New Zealand, possibly also the | | | | Down the run, Alinghi's spinnaker work looked |
| USA. For smaller nations like Switzerland it would | | | | uncharacteristically shaky and the Kiwis surged into the |
| make it virtually impossible to mount a credible | | | | lead. They narrowly defended the lead until the top of |
| challenge. And so Alinghi billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli | | | | the next windward leg, when Alinghi had the New |
| was outraged at Grant Dalton's intentions to clamp | | | | Zealand boat pinned out on the left. Dean Barker |
| down on nationality. After all, here was the team to | | | | attempted an ambitious "dial-down" manoeuvre to |
| which Bertarelli had made a NZ$10 million (approx | | | | wriggle free of Alinghi's clutches, but Ed Baird did a |
| US$7.8 million) loan. "The nationality rule he's speaking | | | | superb countermove, allowing Barker no room for |
| about is obviously mainly directed to Alinghi, so I guess | | | | escape. Baird had to alter course to avoid a collision, |
| that's the thank-you note for helping him get his team | | | | and the umpires had no hesitation in giving the Kiwis a |
| together. If he was to win, that basically would put | | | | penalty. |
| three-quarters of the people around this harbour out of | | | | It looked like job done for Alinghi at this point, but down |
| work. And more surprisingly so, they are probably | | | | the final run, a broken spinnaker pole fitting combined |
| friends of his, since a lot of teams have Kiwis in their | | | | with a massive change in the wind - a 160-degree shift |
| ranks." | | | | and a big drop in pressure - saw the Defender |
| The other big fear of the Kiwis taking the Cup back | | | | suddenly stranded - just metres from the finish line. |
| down to New Zealand was that all the good work | | | | The Kiwis responded better to the change of |
| achieved in Europe - attracting more teams, more | | | | conditions and sneaked past the stricken Swiss. Just |
| sponsors, bigger audiences - would largely be lost if it | | | | before the finish, Barker luffed up and tacked the boat |
| returned to the opposite side of the globe. Some | | | | to shake off that penalty, tacking back to cross the line |
| sailors described the 32nd America's Cup Match as a | | | | just as Alinghi surged up to them again. Across the line |
| battle for the very future of the event. American | | | | there was nothing in it, a moment's uncertainty before |
| grinder on Alinghi, Mark Newbrook commented: "I think | | | | the race committee hoisted the blue flag, giving the |
| we've seen a glimmer of hope for a very high level of | | | | race win - and the America's Cup - to Alinghi, by just 1 |
| professionalism for this sport in Valencia. | | | | second. |
| "There's an opportunity for the sport to move beyond | | | | It was an extraordinary conclusion to a gripping |
| the philanthropy of one rich fella who had some | | | | contest. Bertarelli was delighted to have won, not just |
| money to burn on the sport, where it might get to the | | | | the sporting contest but the battle with Dalton over |
| point where this is a self-sustaining sport and there's | | | | nationality. "We enjoy being able to meet and compete |
| enough corporate interest for it not to rely on the whim | | | | against people from different backgrounds and we |
| of some wealthy family. That would be very promising. | | | | would never lock anyone out of this competition," said |
| I've said right along if Alinghi wins the Cup it will be very | | | | the billionaire. "I never thought when we started, that |
| good for business, and I mean good for everyone on | | | | we would be locked out of it. When I said that we |
| all the teams in the Cup." | | | | were fighting for our survival, I didn't know how right I |
| All of which explains why the Spanish and Italian | | | | was, and here we are. Alive and kicking. And I'm |
| challenger teams, Desafio Espanol and Luna Rossa, | | | | looking forward to continue." |
| broke with tradition by offering to train not with their | | | | Two days later Alinghi and organisation body ACM |
| fellow challenger, ETNZ, but the Defender Alinghi. If | | | | announced the new Protocol Governing the Thirty |
| Alinghi won the Cup again, their commercial futures | | | | Third America's Cup. Having secured a hastily formed |
| would be more or less assured. Life would be a good | | | | Spanish yacht club, the Club Nautico Espanol de Vela, |
| deal more uncertain if the Kiwis were to win. | | | | as the Challenger of Record, the Swiss produced a |
| Not that many were giving Dean Barker's team much | | | | document that stacks the odds heavily in the |
| hope of toppling the Swiss team led by another Kiwi, | | | | Defender's favour. Of course, to some extent this has |
| Brad Butterworth. Word on the street was that the | | | | always been the case, because the Defender gets to |
| Defender's weapon of choice, recently launched SUI | | | | set the rules of the next Cup. The Challenger of |
| 100, was a very potent machine. In the first race, | | | | Record is meant to argue the challengers' point of |
| however, the Kiwis gave the Swiss a good run for | | | | view, but it seems the Spanish were happy to sign the |
| their money. Alinghi won, but not by a convincing | | | | document and read it later. Spanish naivety has |
| margin. And then the Kiwis won the next two. 2-1 to | | | | outraged the other challengers. Some may not come |
| the Defender. Boatspeed differences were virtually | | | | back to the Cup. |
| imperceptible, especially in the flukier breezes of Race | | | | There are very few certainties in the current Protocol. |
| 3. | | | | We don't the timing and we don't know the venue. It |
| Race 3 was an epic contest, albeit in light winds, but | | | | could be Valencia in 2009, or it could be elsewhere in |
| with multiple lead changes as the wind ebbed and | | | | Europe in 2010 or 2011. What we do know is that the |
| flowed in favour of one team, then the other. Alinghi | | | | next event will take place in a new class of racing |
| led around the final mark, but on the run to the finish | | | | yacht, at 90 feet long, slightly larger than the existing |
| the Kiwis sneaked around their rivals to drift across | | | | ACC yachts. Apart from that design details are very |
| the line in front. Alinghi was outraged that the race had | | | | sketchy. |
| gone ahead. Bertarelli described the race as "a little bit | | | | So, interesting times, even after the conclusion of an |
| of Las Vegas, which is why I don't think the race | | | | epic 32nd America's Cup. A little too epic, perhaps, for |
| should have happened". | | | | Ernesto Bertarelli. The terms of the 33rd America's |
| Despite that loss, Brad Butterworth would later say | | | | Cup seem written to help ensure Alinghi returns to the |
| that it was at the end of Race 3 that he was | | | | safer pastures of the 5-0 whitewash which the team |
| convinced Alinghi would win the America's Cup. So it | | | | enjoyed over Emirates Team New Zealand in |
| proved. Dean Barker was the better starting | | | | Auckland 2003. |