Mascalzone Latino of Italy beat Sweden’s Artemis 2-1 in a best-of-three race series yesterday to qualify for the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy sailing regatta for America’s Cup teams.
Team New Zealand and Italy’s Azzurra were 1-1 in their three-race semi-final when a fading wind and approaching darkness halted racing, leaving the series and the second finalist to be decided today.
Mascalzone Latino and Artemis split the first two races of their semi-final and Mascalzone won the deciding third race by 27 seconds when Artemis incurred a penalty on the first beat.
PHOTO: AFP
Artemis, skippered by Paul Cayard of the US and sailing with John Bertrand — skipper of 1983 America’s Cup-winner Australia II — as an extra man, discharged the penalty before the final mark. The Swedish yacht closed on Mascalzone on the last downwind run, but couldn’t overtake.
Azzurra, skippered by Francesco Bruni, overcame a penalty and the need to complete a penalty turn to beat Team New Zealand by 18 seconds in the first race of their semi-final. The Italian boat came from behind by picking up a wind shift on the third of four legs to snatch the race from the New Zealanders.
Team New Zealand then turned the tables on Azzurra when they discharged a penalty turn near the finish line to win the second race by two seconds.
The New Zealanders were penalized during the pre-start and carried the penalty throughout the race, leading around all marks, before brilliantly completing the penalty turn as the Italian yacht bore down on them.
Team New Zealand’s margins seemed too small to allow them to make a 360-degree turn and hold their lead, but they showed strong crew work to pull off the maneuver.
“That was the absolute limit,” tactician Ray Davies said. “We couldn’t have done it with any less.”
The regatta provides racing for America’s Cup teams locked out of the latest Cup regatta between Oracle and Alinghi.
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