BMW ORACLE Racing and Desafio Espanol faced 'must win' races on Sunday at the Louis Vuitton Cup. The Spanish won and live to race another day. The Americans lost and have been eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup.The American team took to the water with a new skipper in Gavin Brady and new helmsman in Sten Mohr as previous skipper/helmsman Chris Dickson stepped off the boat. But it didn't change the result - Luna Rossa Challenge led around the race track again, sealing the series win.
The Spanish, in contrast, made no crew changes, apart from regular crew rotations. Helmsman Karol Jablonski started the boat to the right of the NZL 92 and eked forward by just a few metres with a tiny right shift. They managed to lead into the top mark by just 12 seconds and protected that tiny margin the rest of the way around the track.
Racing started in a building 10 knot Northeasterly breeze. By the top mark, the wind had increased, topping out near 15 knots. An enormous spectator fleet, numbering in the hundreds took in the action, supporting the home side, Desaf?o Espa?ol, who earned a terrific victory.
Racing will resume at the Louis Vuitton Cup on Tuesday, with Emirates Team New Zealand against Desafio Espanol 2007.
