Emirates Team New Zealand
has had its first loss of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta.
The French team Aleph was having the best of their race against
Emirates Team New Zealand on Monday when ETNZ's
gennaker ripped in the left corner on the first down-wind leg.
Dean Barker and
crew finished the run under jib. They gained some ground on the second beat but
ran out of runway on the downwind leg to the finish. Aleph finished 36 sec
ahead.
With a five-win, one-loss record for the regatta so far, Emirates
Team New Zealand retains its place at the top
of the leaderboard.
Skipper Dean Barker
said Aleph deserved its win today. “They had not had a good run in the regatta
so far. They’re a strong team and today the came out really firing.
“We were behind, but working hard to close the gap and create
some opportunities when the gennaker tore.
We hoped the sail would hold, but it didn’t and that effectively ended
our race.
“We did make up some of the lost ground (Aleph’s lead at the
first mark was 27sec, the second mark
57sec, the third mark and at finish 38sec) but on these short courses there’s
not much opportunity to recover.
“Today we’ll have a hard look at everything we’re doing to
make sure we’re in good shape for the rest of the regatta.”
