BMW Oracle Loses Its Headsail, Then Loses Its Way Against Overmatched China

VALENCIA, Spain, April 30 -- The rule of thumb for equipment in the America's Cup is simple but diabolical: If it breaks, it's too light. If it doesn't, it's too heavy.

Cup teams spend fortunes shaving every ounce off gear. When they get it wrong it can be spectacular, as high-flying BMW Oracle saw Monday in challenger trials. Squaring off against winless, hapless China, the Americans gave up an easy victory when the headsail flew out of its under-engineered bindings.

Billionaire Larry Ellison's regatta-leading team, 10-1 entering Monday's race, was so confident that Ellison himself and the regular crew took the day off. Backup helmsman Sten Mohr got the nod with his own speed and tactical team, who normally sail the backup boat in training.

Mohr looked comfortable. He locked China out at the start, left the starting line with a half-boat-length lead and was stretching out in 12-knot winds when chaos engulfed the foredeck. The big Mylar and carbon fiber headsail blew out of its stays and flapped in the breeze. It took several minutes to get the material under control. When the crew rehoisted the sail, it blew out again.

China swept by, bound for its historic first Cup win, while the U.S. crew dragged the sail below and raced the rest of the leg with no headsail, falling a half-mile behind. The headfoil -- a metal channel that holds the sail tight -- had failed under load. It was a classic case: Strong enough for 11 knots of wind, too light for 12.

"If you want to win the America's Cup, you have to keep pushing the margins," Oracle design team member Ian Burns said. "Today, a small piece didn't do the job. It was hard luck for me, hard luck for the team."

And a painful blow for the backup crew. "We had a great start, we were making great gains, we were in the perfect position to win," Mohr said.

The loss knocked BMW Oracle into a tie for first place in the standings with Italy's Luna Rossa, which easily beat Swedish Victory. Whoever winds up first at the end of challenger round robins gets to pick his opponent for the four-boat semifinals. With eight races left, every point matters.

It was a day of breakdowns and surprises as the breeze topped out at a steady 14 knots, more than has been seen here in weeks. Cup sailors say the fragile Cup boats are fully powered up in 11 knots of wind; anything over that poses risks.

The big loser was Mascalzone Latino, which fell twice, to French Areva after picking up a penalty for maneuvering too close, then to Emirates Team New Zealand in the second race after another gear breakdown. That outcome avenged TNZ's first-round loss to Mascalzone on opening day two weeks ago.

Mascalzone bowman Paolo Bottari was knocked overboard on the last leg when the spinnaker pole snapped under load and smacked him in the chest. He was stunned but uninjured and lucky to get hauled back aboard by fast-acting mates who grabbed him as he swept down the side of the boat.

Rounding out the breakages, Italy's lowly ranked Plus 39 sailed a terrific race against fourth-place Desafio Espa?ol, only to have a narrow lead halved late in the race when lines controlling the headsail broke. The sail flapped before the crew got it sorted out, leaving just enough time for the Spanish boat to get back in the race. Desafio attacked and squeezed by the Italians to take the gun by one second.

It was so close "we didn't know we'd won until the flag on the committee boat went up," Desafio trimmer Mikkel Rossberg said.

With eight days to go before seven teams are eliminated, the standings are tight. BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa lead with 23 points; Team New Zealand is next with 20 and the hometown favorite Spaniards on Desafio are fourth with 19. Nearest contenders are Swedish Victory at 16, Mascalzone and South Africa's Shosholoza at 14, and French Areva, which scored two wins Monday, still in range at 13.

Racing continues daily through May 9.