The scene seemed tranquil at first. Just after dawn, sunlight struck the steel colums supporting the second stage of the Foredeck club, the masterpiece of the future America's Cup Park.

In fact, the crane in the Dàrsena Interior lurches into action long before the sun rises and, when clubbers emerged from discos and bars, the men who man the machine were hard at work pulling and tugging at its levers.

Around the new canal, the sound of hammering was in the air. Night and day, the diggers are at it, pouring cement, planting shrubs, dabbing paint and building walkways.

Their labours highlight the Valencians' mad dash to cross the finishing line in time. The countdown clock is ticking: 105 days before LV Act 10.

The work isn't complete in the new canal - there is still dredging going on to make it deeper, along with construction on both sides - but the Spanish Navy pointed out that its depth is not sufficient to serve for big boats, especially for the four-masted topsail "Juan Sebastian de Elcano".

If the progress in the Port between the first 2004 Louis Vuitton Acts and the 2006 regattas are yet impressive, there is plenty left to be done before and after next May 11, when the America's Cup yachts will sailed in the race area.