Team NZ on verge of Med Cup win

Chris Cameron

SARDINIA SUCCESS: Team New Zealand is on the cusp of more Med Cup glory.

Chris Cameron

BIT CLOSE: The action gets tight in Sardinia.

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Emirates Team New Zealand is on the cusp of more Med Cup glory.

The Dean Barker skippered syndicate, which won the last regatta in Marseilles, extended its lead here today in Sardinia, the host venue of the latest Med Cup stop over.

In race one ETNZ finished fifth, but no sooner had they surrendered their regatta lead to main rival Artemis, they snatched it back with a second in race two.

The Swedes finished seventh and are 4.5 points behind ETNZ on the overall standings.

With two races left ETNZ should etch its name on the Sardinia trophy tomorrow.

But the fat lady isn't breaking into song just yet.

Yesterday's heroes Artemis quickly became today's zeros thanks to a rotten piece of luck. Soon after rounding the last marker buoy for home, a sudden and unforeseen wind shift deflated their spinnaker. They got spat out the back of the field leaving skipper Paul Cayard and his crew fuming.

While this was great news for the Kiwis, it was also a rather sobering reminder about the vagaries of sailing.

"Anything can still happen," said ETNZ tactician Ray Davies.

"Sailing can be a cruel sport. It's the nature of the game. We are taking nothing for granted."

Today was a day of toil for the fleet.

The mercury here in Cagliari hit 45c.

There was not a cloud in the sky.

The breeze, from the west, was light and fluky.

"And that made things really nerve wracking," said Davies.

"It's vital that you don't finish at the back of the field because that ruins your chances of winning the regatta. One bad race can end your hopes.

"That's why we have been working really hard on is fighting for every place."

For a while in race one it appeared ETNZ might be about to have one of those races they have been trying to avoid all week.

Coach Rod Davis confirmed a sudden drop in breeze caught ETNZ on the hop just before the start.

"We ended up using a heavier main [sail] than we would have liked. We did not have enough time to change it and that cost us a bit," he said.

"We were at a little bit of a disadvantage there. But a fifth in this regatta is a keeper. "The points start loading up on you really quick if you finish sixth, seventh or eighth."

Davis is one of the father figures in ETNZ. The Olympic gold medallist mentors the afterguard.

It has undergone a small but not insignificant change since the last America's Cup.

Terry Hutchison was let go and Ray Davies promoted from strategist to tactician.

The move is paying dividends, and Davis said the brain's trust of the boat, which includes Barker, navigator Kevin Hall and Adam Beashel, is gelling.

"We are a lot better than we were in Alicante which was the first time the team had raced together as a unit for a long, long time. We were rusty and it showed. Our decision making was not as crisp as it is now but I personally think we can still get a lot better. We have a long way to go and we can start cleaning hitting these regattas."

- © Fairfax NZ News