America's Cup: Match racing trials begin in earnest in Auckland

1:14 PM Fri 29 Apr 2011 GMT

'29/04/2011 - Auckland (NZL) - 34th America's Cup - AC45 Test Event - Day 5 - Match racing' Gilles Martin-Raget/Oracle Racing.com Click Here to view large photo

The name of the game today at the America's Cup Race Management trials was match racing, and the AC45s proved nimble with blazing speed. More importantly, they showed that the game of match racing can be just as compelling in multihulls as in monohulls. While the action was exciting to watch, it was a drain on the crews. The races lasted between 15 and 20 minutes around the windward/leeward course, and the crews rarely had a breather. 'It's a really tough boat to sail,' said ORACLE Racing bowman Piet van Nieuwenhuyzen. 'Everything is big and the apparent windspeed is high. ...

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by Oracle Racing Media