Valencia, 21:00 Monday

Another beautiful day for racing in Valencia, with the most breeze yet -- 20, maybe 21 kts up the first beat of the second race. We led K Challenge from start to finish, no dramas. The all-important second match with Luna Rossa was interesting. Dead-even, split-tack start with Luna Rossa off on port tack at the committee boat and our guys started at the buoy end on starboard tack. A minute or so after the start we tacked onto port on the "hip" (to windward and astern) of Luna Rossa. The Virtual Eye graphic display system, now working well throughout the venue and spectator boats, already was showing us ahead by a boat length.

The first leg was a display of classic match racing tactics. We bounced them to the near layline (tacking repeatedly just ahead of Luna Rossa, forcing them to tack off to the right for clear air). Then two thirds up the beat we crossed over to the right to have starboard advantage going into the top mark.

Luna Rossa, however, was only behind by 2-3 boat lengths as we began the first run. ITA 74 seems quick downwind and was able to blanket us a bit, and pulled even near the bottom of the run. Our guys spurted ahead just before the gate and were first through it. For some reason LR dropped their kite late and much of it went into the water. Also, strangely, they rounded up astern of us instead of going for the other end of the gate. In the confusion one of their spinnaker sheets, now trailing well aft of the yacht, ended up around the propeller of the umpire boat which was following the match in its normal and proper position. Luna Rossa are trying to get redress from the jury for that. A hearing has been set for tomorrow morning at 09:30, but I would rate their chances of overturning today's result as not very high.

We were quick up the second beat, and opened up an insurmountable lead for win number 9 out of the ten matches we have so far raced -- our only loss, of course, against Alinghi two days ago in a very close match.

There were no surprises in any of the other matches. The other race involving two of the "big four" was a yawner -- Alinghi led from start to finish over ETNZ.

That means Alinghi is now on 10 wins. Even if they lose tomorrow to Luna Rossa they have clinched* Act 4 since the winner of our match tomorrow with ETNZ will also be on ten points, and the tie would be broken in favor of Alinghi -- they beat both ETNZ and ourselves in our respective Act 4 matches. Whichever of us wins tomorrow will end second in Act 4 but be first among the Challengers for those relatively few (at this stage) but nonetheless important Louis Vuitton Cup ranking points for the challenger selection series in 2007.

So only one race tomorrow -- ETNZ. The forecast is more of the same -- plenty of sun and breeze. Here is tomorrow's pairing notice no. 6 (pdf, 20 KB).

Tonight I sense we are all a bit frazzled after going at it pretty hard now for eight days straight, some on our team longer than that. The prospect of completing Act 4 tomorrow, and having no sailing on both the "reserve day" (Wed) and the "off day" (Thu) is welcomed. But first, and given all the Kiwis on our team, we are very much looking forward to racing ETNZ tomorrow for the Act 4 challenger marbles.

Tonight we are hosting, here at the Base, a function for about 80 media, and it is time to go emcee the opening of that and offer a surprise happy-birthday toast to Oracle Corp VP Judy Sim.

And if I get a moment later tonight, or early tomorrow morning, I have some great pix to post from last night's block party at our Base.

*assuming, of course, nothing changes at Luna Rossa's Jury hearing this morning nothing changes.