Bertrand was serving as tactician in the light, 5-to-6-knot breeze with his alternate helmsman, Rod Davis, at the wheel.

Francesco de Angelis was the skipper with Rod Davis acting as the sailing coach.

The payoff for Italy came at the first mark: a 1:42 lead over Rod Davis and his Kiwi team.

"I don't think any of the syndicates want to be the top dog," said Rod Davis, New Zealand's skipper, last week.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, said Rod Davis, who played banjo in the original group.

It's part of our thinking not to be on an emotional roller coaster,' said Rod Davis, the New Zealand skipper.

Rod Davis, an American who has settled in Auckland, is the team's sailing coach.

Rod Davis, born 27 August 1955 in the United States is a former competitive sailor who won Olympic medals for two different countries.

"I'm looking for a very close series," Rod Davis, New Zealand's skipper, said in an interview last week about the semifinals.

"Rod Davis can have all the conjecture in the world," Conner said.