Racing for the host Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta Sunday, March 21, 2010, defeating the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma, the Challenger of Record for the 34th Americas Cup. The two-week-long match-racing elimination regatta was sailed in 82-foot America's Cup Class yachts with a crew of 17.
To reach the finals against the Kiwi's, the Mascalzone team defeated San Francisco skipper Paul Cayard in the Swedish yacht in the semi-finals on Friday.
On their way to the finals, Emirates survived by one second a last-minute penalty turn in their match against Azzurra, the other Italian team.
Ashore after racing it was a flashback to the days when New Zealand held the Americas Cup in 2000 and 2003, as crowds jammed the the shore in the Viaduct Basin and every vantage point on moored boats and surrounding balconies. The crowd cheered the Mascalzone Latino Audi boat as it docked at Market Square, its crew holding a giant banner that read "Thank you New Zealand."
The overall results are:
- Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand
- Mascalzone Latino Audi, Italy
- Azzurra, Italy
- Artemis, Sweden
- All4One, Germany/France
- TEAMORIGIN, Great Britain
- ALEPH Sailing Team, France
- Synergy Russian Sailing Team, Russia
For its last two races, Artemis carried John Bertrand, the Aussie skipper who in 1983 lifted the Americas Cup from the clutches of the New York Yacht Club. Earlier in the week Bertrand was re-united with his protoge, Jimmy Spithill, skipper of USA in its America's Cup victory over the Swiss last month. Spithill was in Auckland accompanying the America's Cup trophy on its world tour. Bertrand rode on Artemi's stern. Although rules prevented Bertrand from offering advice he clearly enjoyed the experience.
Although disappointed in his loss, Paul Cayard noted that Artemis was assembling a new team that needed to get glued together. "We made a huge step forward here in Auckland, and were really happy with how we sailed."
The next LVT regatta will be held in May in Sardinia. Although BMW Oracle Racing did not enter a team in Auckland event because it was too close to the America's Cup, it is planning a return to action in Sardinia. Two of the BMW Oracle Racing team crewed on Aleph.
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