Auckland, City of Sails, is the center of all worldwide America’s Cup energy and the location for the live Cup racing action in the Hauraki Gulf. The Viaduct Basin has been packed with shops and syndicates since team New Zealand won the cup in 1995 and has become the official America’s Cup hot spot since the victory in 2000. The energy level has only increased since the match three years ago, and the support for Team New Zealand has never been higher. Out of a slew of challengers, only one can face Team New Zealand for the Cup. The Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger series, is held previous to the America’s Cup, and the champion of that competition advances to meet the defending team in a best of five of nine races. We witnessed the action first hand and were one of the numerous spectator boats anxiously watching the races and cheering at the top of our lungs during the challenge series! We cheered as Alinghi, the Swiss team, advanced to the finals of the America’s Cup, sailing’s biggest and most prestigious team race. In the First America’s Cup race, Team New Zealand started off ahead, but it wasn’t long before their lead shortened. The boat was taking on tremendous amounts of water, which was putting stress on the boat and the crew who were attempting to bail the water out of the boat with a small bucket. After finally getting the water issue under control, the real problems started. The tip of the main boom broke off after being put through too much stress during the water dilemma, and the mainsail came ripping loose on the end. Fortunately, the remaining ties on the rest of the mast controlled the sail and held it together. After the boom crisis, the New Zealand team heaved a sigh of relief for the worst appeared to be over, but they were sadly mistaken. The headsail was then torn from the runners by an unexpected gust of wind, which ripped the sail from the mast and blew it into the water alongside the boat. The crew rushed to pull it in and the Skipper, Dean Barker, made the wise decision to forfeit before any more damage was done. Consequently, Alinghi had the first victory! The unfortunate events that took place onboard NZ 82 were living proof that “bad things happen in threes,” and New Zealand returned to their syndicate house with their heads down, preparing for a long night of major repairs. The remaining races were not nearly as eventful as the first. The second match began much the same as the first, but New Zealand had no technical problems and held their lead through both the first and second marks. On the final leg, however, Alinghi received the perfect puff of wind and sailed right past New Zealand and on to the finish line. In the third match, Alinghi’s luck held and they began and ended the race ahead of New Zealand by one boat length. Alinghi’s luck remained the same as they went on to win the fourth and fifth races, granting them the title of America’s Cup Winners, 2003. If you break away from the America’s Cup excitement, Auckland is a clean and beautiful city. Many little shops line the streets and small alleys cut off the main street and house a small restaurant or boutique. The shopping district surrounds Queen Street, a long road lined with the best shops and restaurants in Auckland. We have walked up and down this street an innumerable amount of times and always find a new shop to pop in to. In addition to the great shopping district, Auckland has a fabulous Sky Tower that sits high above the rest of the city.