Press release no. 105

24 February 2000

Race Three is Abandoned Due to Light Winds

It was a beautiful day in Auckland, and on the Hauraki Gulf, unless you were a sailor. A bright sunny afternoon featured puffy cumulus clouds to break up the deep blue hues of the sky, providing a spectacular backdrop to Race Three of the America's Cup.

But unfortunately, the summer weather conditions meant there was not enough wind to start racing. The light gradient wind and the afternoon sea breeze were in conflict throughout the afternoon. The result was an unstable sea breeze with wind strength of five to eight knots. But even when the wind was at its strongest, the direction was fluctuating and Race Director Harold Bennett was reluctant to start, citing variations in both wind speed and direction across the length of the race course.

Both the Prada Challenge, and Team New Zealand had previously given Bennett permission to wait until 16:00 hours before abandoning racing for the day. Today, the extra hour wasn't enough, and Bennett hoisted the AP over A to abandon racing at 15:40.

Race Three is now scheduled to start at 13:15 on Saturday afternoon. Team New Zealand leads the Prada Challenge 2-0 in the best of nine America's Cup Match.

ENDS

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