Hosts Team New Zealand convincingly beat Swedish syndicate Artemis on their home waters in Auckland Tuesday, the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy yachting regatta.
Other winners among the eight strong field in the America’s Cup-class regatta were Italy’s Azzura, French-German syndicate All4one and France’s Aleph Sailing Team.
Dean Barker-skippered Team New Zealand, the losing challenger in the 2007 America’s Cup, beat Artemis by one minute 40 seconds, making full use of their local knowledge in light winds.
Azzura beat Britain’s Team Origin by 53 seconds, while All4one defeated Mascalzone Latino Audi Team by 44 seconds.
In the final race, France’s Aleph Sailing Team beat Synergy Russian Sailing Team by three minutes 26 seconds after the Russians ran over their own spinnaker.
The second Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta follows the inaugural event in Nice in November when Azzura beat Team New Zealand in the finals.
Running until the finals on March 21, the regatta’s round robin and elimination rounds features the teams racing in the two yachts Team New Zealand used during the 2007 America’s Cup campaign in Valencia.
More Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas are due to be held in Sardinia in May, Dubai in November and Hong Kong in January next year.
Their aim is to provide top quality America’s Cup-style match-racing during the long gap between America’s Cups.
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