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Southwest winds gusting up to 26-knots were well above the 19-knot wind limit that the Challengers have prescribed for starting races in the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Race Officer Peter Reggio was initially optimistic as the wind hovered in the high teens through the late morning. But as race time approached, the wind was frequently gusting above 20-knots, triggering the wind alarm on the Race Committee boat, and racing was duly postponed.

Although the race boats waited patiently on the course for nearly two hours, the much hoped for lull never arrived, and at 14:40 Reggio abandoned racing for the day for the 18th time in 48 race days. At the time, Reggio said the wind average was in excess of not just the starting limit, but the racing limit of 23-knots.

In the best-of-seven Semi Final, Alinghi leads Oracle BMW Racing 3 - 0, while OneWorld and Prada are tied with one victory each (OneWorld has lost one point due to an Arbitration Panel penalty).

The Semi Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup is scheduled to end with a reserve day on Tuesday, 17 December. Reggio will now schedule two races per day on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the Race Conditions, if racing is not completed by the end of the reserve race day, the team leading the series will be the winner of the series. If the series is tied, there will be a one race sail-off to determine the winner on the first day conditions allow.

Southwest winds of 12-17 knots are forecast for the Hauraki Gulf on Monday.