But it was nothing compared with the arrival of the Kiwi boat, lined from stem to stern with the several dozen members of the sailing and shore team that comprise Team New Zealand.

In that match, Conner's Stars & Stripes team lost the America's Cup to New Zealand in a 5-0 defeat by the Kiwi boat, Black Magic.

"The Kiwi boat will probably be a rocket downwind," Pedrick said.

Paul Cayard, helmsman on Young America, conceded Thursday that the Kiwi boat has produced "the best performance from a challenger in recent history."

Trouble was, the Kiwi boat sailed better.

The Kiwi boat will be 90 feet on the waterline, and about 125 feet in overall length.

In the first minutes of the race, the Kiwi boat sailed at a markedly sharper angle to the wind than Alinghi.

Keenan's wife, Gail, said she and her husband had despaired during the first race, when the Kiwi boat was swamped with water.

But Doug Peterson, an American who helped design the Kiwi boat, isn't one to hold back.

As the Kiwi boat lost its steam only a few hundred yards from the finish line, Coutts blew past to win by seven seconds.