“With one more race to sail tomorrow, it is all still wide open. It will be a big race and we are looking forward to it.” -- Tactician Bertrand Pace (FRA), after today's Act 9, Day 2 racing.

Indeed. Tonight Alinghi are up one point, but tomorrow we need to put a boat between them and us for us to win Act 9. If we beat them tomorrow by only one place (for example, we win and they are second), we would end up tied on points but, once again, the tie break would go in Alinghi's favor as, regardless, they will have beaten us in three of the five races.

So our work is cut out for us. Good news is that squally, windy (18-25 kts) conditions are predicted for tomorrow, and our guys and boat seem to like that.

Moreover, ETNZ are fully 6 points back in 3rd place, so Dicko & Co. will have a fair amount of freedom to match race Alinghi and try to force a mistake on their part -- which could put one or more boats between us and Alinghi without worrying too much about ETNZ ending up ahead of us.

Full marks to Shosholoza! They had two more great races today and are standing 4th, four points ahead of 5th place Desafio Espanol and seven points ahead of Luna Rossa.

Tonight we're all a bit tired after eight days of hard racing over the past ten days, but doubtless will have no trouble getting up for tomorrow's finale.


Alinghi and BMW ORACLE: leaders of the pack and Act 9.


Today's large (again) spectator fleet returning to Trapani Harbour
with Monte Erice as the backdrop.


Scott Sandford, Aimee Hess and Dicko with our Trapani caterers
-- new fans and friends of our team -- who baked a special USA-76 cake
which went down well with the team, and quickly, this evening.


Tonight's glorious sunset over the Egadi Islands. Red sky at night,
sailors' delight?