A blown spinnaker cost Team New Zealand race five

The Swiss holders triumphed by 19 seconds after overhauling the stricken Kiwis on the first downwind leg.

Team New Zealand won the start and were first round the top mark in a fresh breeze, but the headsail shredded and they lost the second with a poor hoist.

Alinghi made up 60m to slide past and defended their lead to the line.

"We had a little bit of luck," said Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli.

"When they ripped their spinnaker, we had to remain very focused, not make any mistakes and take advantage of the situation.

"We are closer than them to a fifth win, but we still have to win two races. Tomorrow's race is extremely important."

After a dramatic pre-start, the Kiwis led up the first beat and turned the windward mark 12 seconds ahead.

That was an important race and one we shouldn't have lost on a mistake on a move we've practised time and again Grant Dalton, Team NZ boss

But on the downwind leg a small tear appeared in their bright red spinnaker.

As they prepared to hoist a new kite, the old one shredded in two, but the second went up unattached and flew free from the top of the mast like a flag.

The third spinnaker developed a tangle, known as an "hourglass", before eventually filling properly as the Kiwis cut the first two headsails free for their support boat to pick up.

"It was absolute chaos basically, people and sails everywhere," said Grant Dalton manager of Team New Zeland, who won the Cup in 1995 and 2000 but lost to Alinghi in 2003.

"That was an important race and it wasn't one we should have lost on a mistake on a move we've practised time and again.

"We fought pretty well to the end and I thought we had good pace. We pride ourselves on our crew work, but not today."

Team New Zealand were 26 seconds adrift at the second mark and did well to reduce the deficit on the final run.

"We did a couple of bad gybes, we were probably a little bit too excited about their mistake," said Alinghi mastman Francesco Rapetti.

"We didn't capitalise as well as we could have; that allowed them to jump closer to us but then we didn't make any more mistakes and we won."

The series is the closest since John Bertrand skippered Australia II past Dennis Connor's Liberty on the final lap for an improbable 4-3 series win in 1983.