SAILING: Last weekend's success by the Swiss Alinghi team in the Louis Vuitton Cup has set the stage for an exciting conclusion to the latest America's Cup series. Their apparently seamless campaign ended with a convincing five victories and one loss to Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW squad.
The significance of the format of the Challenger versus Defender takes on many guises, depending on which particular allegiance you have declared. On one hand, this is the first time the United States will not have a formal involvement in the competition.
Or you might cite that Alinghi's European credentials are the most tenuous, achieved only by complying with unique nationality requirements specified by the much modified event rules that sees key crew members of New Zealand birth declaring for Switzerland.
The prospect of Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth lining up on home waters sailing for another country might well be too much for you, if you are a Kiwi that is, so much so that you might even be counted amongst the 5,000 members of the Black Heart campaign who have been vociferous in their disgust that their former heroes have abandoned the home side in defending the world's oldest sporting trophy.
Otherwise, you might well be a plain follower of the intricacies of the politics that has earned the America's Cup a reputation for more excitement ashore than for its racing afloat. For many sailors, the series finale in four weeks time won't arrive soon enough.
Before then, Auckland plays host to the ISAF World Team Racing championships that begins next weekend. Ireland has a strong squad among the 16 teams, while USA 2, runners-up in both 2001 and 1999, will be wanting to avenge their close defeat in 2001, and with much the same team there will be everything to sail for.
Elsewhere down under, Andrew Craig and Chimaera continue to hold second overall at the Dragon World Championship being sailed on the Derwent River in Tasmania.
Craig took second the pre-worlds event, the Prince Philip Trophy, beating Germany's Dieter Schoen into third place. However, this event seems to have galvanised Schoen who has scored four straight wins in the worlds and now appears unbeatable. John Lavery isn't far off the winners' podium either in fifth place and the remaining races are wide open for all but first place.
