Italians Send Kiwis a Message

Racing against New Zealand has hardly been la dolce vita for Il Moro de Venezia, but Monday showed there might be some staying power in the Italians after all.

In their second race in a month decided by one second, the Italian boat caught the favored Kiwis on the seventh leg, then held on to win by a bow length to even the best-of-nine series at one apiece.

Though Il Moro and New Zealand were clearly the best boats in the challenger semifinals, there was some question whether Il Moro could win head to head.

Discounting last month’s one-second semifinal race won by New Zealand but later awarded to Il Moro because the Kiwis brushed the final mark, Il Moro hadn’t beaten New Zealand since the first round in January. The Italians are 2-5 against New Zealand. In their most recent meetings, New Zealand had won by 18 seconds in heavy winds, one second in moderate winds (the disqualification) and 2:20 in light winds.

So Monday’s victory might have been uplifting for the Italians, and it might give the Kiwis pause.

New Zealand skipper Rod Dixon had heard the whispers: The Italians weren’t good enough sailors to hang with the Kiwis.

“I think everybody thought it was gonna be a 5-0 deal,” Dixon said with a knowing smile. “I don’t think anybody is going to go through this unscarred.”

Paul Cayard, the American-born skipper of Il Moro, said, “We’ve been slated as the underdog so it’s not the end of the world if you go down 0-2, but being even in (what is now) a best of seven is a boost. I always felt we can win the series. Evening it up shows everybody.”

Monday’s race was a tactical duel in which New Zealand led for three-quarters of the course, but never by more than a few boat lengths. “When it’s tight like that every single tack is a very particular situation,” Cayard said. “Every two minutes was a new situation.”

New--and harrowing. “Sure it is,” he said.

Cayard made his move on the last windward leg, as New Zealand tried a slam dunk amidst a furious tacking duel. New Zealand failed, and Il Moro ducked inside, taking the lead for good and building a 19-second lead around the final mark.

Then the Italians had a sloppy jibe, New Zealand picked up a fresh breeze and it was a dash to the finish, with Cayard squeezing New Zealand toward the mark to cut the Kiwis’ angle. New Zealand protested the maneuver to no avail.

“We set too big a sail and we had a bad jibe,” Cayard said. “A terrible jibe. But we were able to eke it out. That’s the type of race that makes America’s Cup interesting. Certainly I imagine either one of us would like to make it easier on us. If we can get our act together . . .”

Cayard’s crew has been taking heat--some from Cayard--for getting outmaneuvered by the Kiwis, and one Italian journalist Monday compared their performance to a yo-yo, perhaps not fully realizing how an American might take that.

“Believe it or not we’re trying our best,” Cayard replied. Later he added with a grin, “We’re just a yo-yo, but we’ll try to stay on the upper end.”

Monday’s victory also supported Cayard’s contention that the boats are relatively competitive.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever really discounted the boat speed of Il Moro to New Zealand,” he said. “We can beat the boat. I don’t know if we’ve ever sailed as well as they’ve sailed. Speed isn’t what makes a team win or lose out there. . . .

“The racing side of things is heating up now. We were fast enough and good enough to win (Monday.) We’ve got to work today (a lay day) to get better Wednesday. If you don’t continue to grow, you’ll be passed.”

New Zealand syndicate boss Peter Blake noted, “What a race. . . . That’s yachting at its best. We always knew this was going to be a real fight and that was another reminder. No excuses.”

For one day, at least, the Italians didn’t need any either.