Alinghi eclipse NZ to retain America's Cup

Alinghi won the 32nd America's Cup yesterday, beating Team New Zealand by one second in a thrilling seventh race to take the series 5-2.

The Swiss syndicate become the first European team to defend the Cup, their crew cheering with relief having almost lost the race when their spinnaker pole snapped off the mast.

As Alinghi fans rang cowbells out on the water, the Kiwi crew sat with their heads bowed, hardly speaking to each other.

"I love this team," said Alinghi president and afterguard member Ernesto Bertarelli.

"This is a fantastic day for Alinghi, to win the America's Cup again after four years of hard work," added Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth.

"The crew, the designers and the shore team have done an incredible job throughout the series, we have fought hard against a strong challenger and have won. We'll be celebrating tonight."

Alinghi joins Team Dennis Conner and Team New Zealand as the only crews in America's Cup history to win as a Challenger and Defender.

In the closest and most enthralling series for years, Team New Zealand had fought doggedly to win back sailing's most prestigious prize, which they lost to Alinghi 5-0 in 2003.

Yesterday's race was a heart-stopping end to the best-of-nine series with the boats hardly more than a boat length apart for most of the race, playing clever tactical games to win a few metres of advantage.

The turning point came at the top of the second upwind leg when Team New Zealand got enough advantage to "dial down", turning downwind and attacking Alinghi nose on.

Alinghi had to swerve to miss them and the umpires slapped New Zealand with a penalty.

Coming back downwind, Alinghi had more problems with their gybes and suddenly the pole that holds out the bottom corner of the spinnaker jumped off the mast, the kite went flying off in the wind and the 24-metre yacht came to a halt.

New Zealand swept past the stalled Swiss boat and did a double tack to pay their penalty. Alinghi finally got a jib up and started chasing for the finish line, caught up with the Kiwis and just got ahead.

"It was obviously pretty close but all credit to Alinghi. They sailed well, kept it close, kept on sailing the way they do and beat us fair and square," said New Zealand's Grant Dalton.

Alinghi, who brought the Cup to Europe for the first time since the initial race in 1851, now have the right to organise the next event where, when and how they want.

Many followers expect the Geneva-based team to choose a new Spanish yacht club as the challenger of record with whom they will set the rules of the next edition. That raises the possibility the 33rd America's Cup will be in 2009 in Valencia.

Bertarelli declined to comment and added that details of the next edition will be revealed tomorrow.

Past winners of the America's Cup

Alinghi won the 32nd America's Cup 5-2 against Team New Zealand yesterday, the first European challenger to defend the "Auld Mug". Following is a brief history of past winners:

1851 - US schooner America beats the British squadron around the Isle of Wight, winning a trophy that is named after her, the America's Cup.

1870-1980 - The United States survive 24 challenges in the longest winning streak in sporting history.

1983 - Australia II beat Liberty 4-3 off Newport, Rhode Island. As well as breaking the US hold on the Cup, Australia II's radical winged keel writes a new page in yachting technology history.

1987 - Dennis Connor wins the America's Cup back for the United States in Stars & Stripes 87, beating Kookaburra III 4-0.

1988 - New Zealand make rogue challenge with a huge monohull. Connor hits back with a speedy catamaran and Stars & Stripes win 2-1. It takes months to confirm the win in court.

1992 - America3 beat colourful Italian challenger Il Moro di Venezia 4-1 off San Diego.

1995 - New Zealand win the America's Cup for the first time in Black Magic. Led by yachting legend Sir Peter Blake, they beat Connor's Young America 5-0, leading the Americans at every mark.

2000 - New Zealand become the first non-US team to defend the Cup. Under skipper Russell Coutts, the Kiwis beat new Italian challenger Luna Rossa 5-0 in the Hauraki Gulf.

2003 - Coutts and his core crew move to new Swiss syndicate Alinghi and thrash their former team mates 5-0. Alinghi is the first European team ever to win the America's Cup.

2007 - Alinghi become the first Europeans to defend the Cup, beating New Zealand 5-2 in a series which followers hail as the most exciting for years.