AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- New Zealanders watched in disbelief as their dreams of successfully defending the Cup were virtually shattered when Team New Zealand's mast snapped during race four.

Auckland's waterfront was virtually silent as hundreds of fans watched the incident on giant television screens and in bars and restaurants around the Viaduct Basin area.

"Well, it's been good while it lasted, but that could be the end of an era," charter boat skipper John Hebberd told the New Zealand Press Association.

Biotechnology billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi lead the best-of-nine series 4-0 and need to win just one more race to become the first European team to win sailing's most prestigious trophy.

No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the America's Cup during its 152-year history, let alone 4-0.

"For the Kiwis, it is a national tragedy ... The America's Cup already has one foot in Europe," French-language Swiss radio said on Friday.

Many find it hard to believe the New Zealand boat could suffer such substantial damage. Team New Zealand (TNZ) now has the unenviable record of being the worst defender in history, failing to finish two out of their four races after breaking its boom and forestay on the first race and its mast on the fourth race. (Full story)

"I feel the boat has let them down. It's let all of New Zealand down," Auckland resident Ngaire Roebuck told Reuters.

"How can you design a boat that can't even cope with our own conditions?" disappointed New Zealand supporter Andrew Deerness asked.

New Zealand fans had lined the waterfront hours earlier to watch the boats leave for race four, which finally got underway after six delays in the last nine days caused by unsuitable weather.

Many local fans felt sorry for Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker and his crew, largely made up of America's Cup novices.

They were left to pick up the pieces after former New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts, tactician Brad Butterworth and four other key crew members jumped boats and joined Alinghi within weeks of their successful 2000 Cup defence.

Two middle-aged women hung out banners saying "How Much is Butter Worth" and "Give Coutts the Boot" and jeered as Alinghi sailed past, reflecting the widely-held feeling in New Zealand that the pair have betrayed their country.

One Australian at Viaduct Basin suggested the New Zealand boat should be fitted with a periscope as it had taken on so much water in races one and four.


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