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Crew members of America's Cup Defender Alinghi of Switzerland moor their catamaran Alinghi 5 at America's Cup port in Valencia - Source: Reuters -
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Rough seas forced the opening race of the 33rd America's Cup to be abandoned on Wednesday for the second time, prolonging a frustrating wait for the start of the regatta.
The best-of-three duel between Swiss holders Alinghi and U.S. challengers BMW Oracle had been due to begin on Monday but will not get underway before Friday, the next scheduled race day.
While Tuesday's race was called off because of inconsistent winds, Wednesday's conditions with waves of up to two metres high were too much for the fast but fragile hi-tech boats.
"There was a swell coming from one direction and waves from an offset of 90 degrees to that. We've been out in conditions not quite that bad, but it's heinous," Alinghi strategist Murray Jones said in an e-mail.
Neither boat left the dock on Wednesday, with strong winds expected again on Friday, casting doubt on the wisdom of trying to sail the event in the northern hemisphere winter.
Alinghi, owned by Swiss biotechnology and banking billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, successfully defended the Cup in Valencia in May 2007 after beating New Zealand four years earlier.
The timing, format and type of boats are the result of more than two years of often bitter legal battles between Alinghi and BMW Oracle, owned by software mogul Larry Ellison, over rules governed by a 19th century "Deed of Gift".
Two multi-hull boats are competing for the first time in the event's 159-year history.
Principal race officer Harold Bennett said so little is known about the huge boats that he could not risk the safety of their crews. Sturdier, monohull craft would likely have been able to race in Wednesday's conditions.
"I've seen very little of these boats and I'm still learning," Bennett told reporters. "The last thing I want to see is that these boats break something and someone gets hurt."
Turning green
Bennett acknowledged that more traditional craft built to withstand a variety of conditions would perhaps be more appropriate but said conditions were still rough on the race course some 20 km (12 miles) offshore.
"We were out there nearly an hour and I think I turned everyone green on the boat," Bennett said.
BMW Oracle skipper, Australian James Spithill, said his team had been ready to race and that conditions had looked good around the scheduled start time of 10 a.m. (0900 GMT).
"We'd be more than happy with the conditions today. We do want fair racing and good conditions, it's nobody's fault," Spithill told reporters.
The regatta already has been pushed into the first reserve day on Sunday. Reserve days for postponed races have been established up until Feb. 25.
The postponements have added to the sense of frustration over the regatta, which was to have been sailed in 2009 but was delayed by the legal fights over hosting rights and technology.
Both boats are being raced for the first time and are capable of speeds more than twice as fast as the wind but are more fragile than traditional monohulls. Alinghi is thought to favour lighter conditions, with Oracle better in stronger winds.
Alinghi is a catamaran with a tilting mast 17 storeys high. BMW Oracle, a trimaran, has a unique wing-shaped sail and mast.
