Louis Vuitton Cup begins after four days of no wind

After four days of no wind The Louis Vuitton Cup started Friday with a rescheduled racing program designed to make up for lost time.

American entry BMW Oracle Racing sailed against United Internet Team Germany on the southern "Juliet" course as match racing finally got under way for the 11 challengers.

Shosholoza of South Africa faced Swedish team Victory Challenge and China Team sailed against Luna Rossa of Italy following the first match race.

On the northern "Romeo" course, Italian syndicate Mascalzone Latino sailed against Emirates Team New Zealand after a slight delay because of unstable wind conditions, followed by +39 Challenge against Areva Challenge. Spanish team Desafio Espanol had a bye.

The challengers series was restarted Friday, originally a reserve day, after unsuitable wind postponed the first eight flights, forcing organizers to move the them to two reserve days and into the start of the second round-robin stage. America's Cup organizers and the commission representing the 11 competitors decided to scrap the cramped schedule and start over.

Two flights a day will be raced with any future postponed races to be held at the earliest opportunity and always in flight order.

The Louis Vuitton Cup, which runs through June 11, will decide which of the challengers will sail against defending America's Cup champion Alinghi in the final from June 23-July 4.

Organizers originally selected Valencia for its consistent weather.