Oracle, headed for a clear victory in race 1, America's Cup, 12 February (photo: BMW Oracle)

Valencia, Spain (GenevaLunch) – The water and wind were fine at last on Friday, after days of waiting for sailing conditions off the coast of Valencia to be right for the America’s Cup race to begin. But once Alinghi and Oracle put their tall sails to work, American Oracle’s trimaran dominated the race and won neatly over the Swiss catamaran, finishing eight and a half minutes ahead.

The “wing”, as Oracle’s rigid mast has become known, put in a stellar performance, as did the boat’s aggressive crewing. Alinghi’s lead at the outset, due to a stalled start on Oracle’s part, faded, and by the top mark at the end of the 20 nautical mile upwind first leg Oracle was 3 minutes 21 seconds ahead. By the end of the race Oracle’s lead had more than doubled. Alinghi was hampered by a penalty turn handed out early in the race. The Swiss boat was expected to regain time in the down wind leg, but, Sail-World reports, “it was obvious that, in the soft conditions, Alinghi was at a disadvantage.”

Alinghi held a steady pace, but that was no match for Oracle’s performance on the second, downwind leg, and Alinghi’s finish was something of a shambles.

The result, writes the Guardian, was a “drubbing, the like of which has not been seen in this competition since the mismatch of Dennis Conner’s catamaran and New Zealand’s 132ft monohull in 1988.”

The Cup goes to the first team to win two races. The second race is Sunday 14 February.

Links to other sites: Alinghi, America’s Cup, BMW Oracle, Guardian, UK, Le Temps (Fre), Sailing Scuttlebutt, Sailing-World

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