Team NZ and Luna Rossa were close to claiming their places in the final of the LV Cup on Saturday.

Match 1 – Luna Rossa beat BMW Oracle Racing (1'57")

The Italian Luna Rossa Challenge came into today’s match having led BMW Oracle Racing at every turning mark in their four contests to day.

Under pressure to strike early, the skipper of the American team BMW Oracle Racing, Chris Dickson, found himself in trouble during the pre-start, eventually taking two penalties.

The American team had been in danger of being shut out on the left side of the starting line, and Dickson, on the ‘give-way’ port tack, attempted to cross ahead of the starboard tack Luna Rossa Challenge. The Umpires judged Spithill had to take evasive action and issued the first penalty.

Then, with both boats side by side on port tack, the stern of USA 98 swung into the side of ITA 94 when Dickson tried to bear off to build up speed. That resulted in a second penalty, and from then onwards, the match was Spithill’s to lose.

Luna Rossa played a good covering game from there, much tighter than in previous races, and Torben Grael kept the Italian boat in phase with the windshifts, extending the lead on every leg.

By the finish, with BMW Oracle taking the second penalty on the finishing line, the finish delta was 1 minute 57 seconds.

Match 2 – Team New Zealand beat Desafío Español (1'49'')

In the pre-start, Dean Barker tried to get the hook on Desafío Español but didn’t quite manage it. With the green boat to leeward, Karol Jablonski gently luffed Barker up towards the line, forcing the Kiwi boat closer to the start line than Barker would have liked.

The Kiwis were forced to tack off towards the Race Committee boat and, by the time they tacked again to cross the line, the Spanish had moved to two boatlengths ahead.

The boats sailed on a long starboard parallel course, but gradually the Kiwis chomped back the lead.

When the Spanish fell out of the line of breeze, the Kiwis sailed into the lead and took control of the race from that point. The Spanish tried to keep the game tight but New Zealand extended around the track to win by 1 minute 15 seconds.