Sailing: Fortune turns for Britons as French pay the penalty

Displaying every facet of the bulldog spirit, Britain's GBR Challenge for the America's Cup snatched triumph out of adversity in a thrilling race against the French Defi Areva here yesterday.

This was not just their first win in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the elimination series which will lead to the sole challenger against the defenders Team New Zealand next February. It was also Britain's first win on an America's Cup course for nearly 16 years, it came after two losses against strong opponents in an opening week disrupted by two days of postponements because of strong wind, and it followed a defeat the day before that would have sapped the morale of a crew less focussed.

After three hours of waiting on a glassy Hauraki Gulf, it looked as if a third race would be cancelled, this time because there was no wind at all. The committee then moved the fleet eight miles closer to Auckland as the 4pm time limit to start a race grew closer. There was an abrupt change in the conditions and, from nothing, a perfect, if shifting, breeze, varying between 16 and 20 knots, clicked in under blue skies.

Unfortunately there was little time left as the British skipper Ian Walker elected to change the mainsail and use a heavier one. As the crew tried to hoist it, the bottom batten, which gives the sail shape and stability, popped out of its housing.

The tow boat holding the 80-foot Wight Lightning up into the wind had to drop its tow by six minutes before the start, which it did with less than 30 seconds to go. By then GBR was way above the start line and pre-start manoeuvring area, which it had to enter no later then two minutes after the five-minute warning signal.

There was no way they could make it, so a penalty against GBR was indicated, but starting helmsman Andy Green just managed to bring the boat behind the line, turn it and pick up speed to make a good start alongside the French. They held each other all the way up the first 3.25-mile leg until, approaching the rounding mark, the British team executed a manoeuvre which led to a double penalty against the French for fouling the right of way boat, GBR, and benefiting from that.

One cancelled out the British penalty, the other the French carried to the finish line, where they had to exonerate it with a 360-degree turn, allowing the British to sail past to cross the line first.

On the same course, Larry Ellison was again at the helm of Oracle BMW Racing after skipper Peter Holmberg had taken a commanding position against Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes, skippered by Kenny Read. Italians Mascalzone Latino pushed Sweden's Victory Challenge far harder than expected, while Prada, the 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup holders, lost again to Switzerland's Alinghi. After four outings, compared with GBR's three, they are level with one win each.

LOUIS VUITTON CUP (Auckland, NZ): Round robin one: Saturday: OneWorld (US) bt Alinghi (Swit) 0min 22secs; Stars & Stripes (US) bt Prada (It) 0:35; Oracle (US) bt Mascalzone Latino (It) 2:30; Victory (Swe) bt Le Defi Areva (Fr) 1:06; OneWorld (US) bt GBR Challenge (GB) 3:22; Victory Challenge (Swe) bt Stars & Stripes (US) 0:33; Alinghi (Swit) bt Mascalzone Latino (It) 7:08; Prada (It) bt Le Defi (Fr) DNF (pending investigation). Yesterday: Victory Challenge bt Mascalzone Latino (It) 0:35; Alinghi (Swit) bt Prada (It) 1:32; GBR Challenge (GB) bt Le Defi (Fr) 0:13; Oracle (US) bt Team Dennis Conner (US) 1:58; One World (US): bye. Standings: Victory Challenge 3, Oracle 3, Alinghi 3, Team Dennis Conner 2, OneWorld 2*, Prada 1, GBR Challenge 1, Le Defi 0, Mascalzone Latino 0.

*OneWorld has been deducted one point for a rules breach before the regatta.