Wednesday's forecast is far more favorable, with a call for clear skies and sun. The series that will determine which boat challenges defending champion New Zealand should get under way after a one-day delay.

U.S. skipper Paul Cayard likens the America's Cup to a heavyweight fight that could go the distance. Italian helmsman Francesco de Angelis compares it to a school exam at the end of a long period of studying.

Really, though, it's all about boat racing, and interest in the chase for sailing's top prize seems to be growing.

"The fact that I'm racing against Francesco, I think, has heightened interest in" Italy, said Cayard, who represents St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco but skippered Italy's losing entry in the 1992 Cup finals.

"And the United States is following us more closely now that we're the only U.S team," he said, "so a lot of things are peaking right now."

The original field of 11 boats included five from the United States. Cayard's AmericaOne was the only U.S. boat remaining after the challenger semifinals ended Jan. 14. It finished first in that round and Italy's Prada was second.

The boats have split their four races since the trials began last October, and Cayard expects this round to be close.

"The boats look pretty even," he said, "the teams look pretty even. I think it's going to be tough and tight racing."

Through the first three rounds of trials, both syndicates had plenty of time to refine their tactics, tinker with their boats and prepare extensively for the competition.

"It's like when you have to take an exam," de Angelis said. "There's nothing that you can study the night before the exam. You have to rely on what you've done."

Prada seems to be a slightly faster boat, but the AmericaOne crew has more Cup experience. The difference in their performances in various wind conditions may not be extremely significant.

Races can't start in winds of more than 18 knots, and they appeared to be stronger Tuesday on the Hauraki Gulf. But no rule requires that the race be abandoned after it starts no matter how fierce the winds are.

Both skippers, though, can agree to stop the race if they agree that the winds threaten the safety of their boats and crews.

Cayard and de Angelis have sailed on the same crew that won other sailing events, but now they must slug it out against each other.

"I see this more like a possible nine-round heavyweight bout," Cayard said. "You've got to play your rounds and get scored per round."

The eventual winner could be the one that takes punches better and comes back after losing a race or two.

"This could boil down to who can get back up again better than the other guy," Cayard said. "There could be some heartbreaking races, losing a race by one second after leading all the way around the course, and the way you deal with that could make a difference."

Cayard was the losing skipper aboard Il Moro di Venezia in 1992 and Stars & Stripes of the United States in 1995, the last time the Cup was contested. De Angelis is in his first America's Cup as a skipper.

The competitive challenger semifinals were "very good because we do not have a lot of experience," de Angelis said. "That was an opportunity to gain some more."

He's trying to make Italy only the third country other than the United States to win the Cup. The Americans won every match from the Cup's inception in 1851 through 1980.

But Australia beat Dennis Conner's Liberty in 1983, and Conner won it back in Fremantle, Australia, four years later. The Americans held the Cup until New Zealand won 5-0 in 1995 in San Diego.

Now Cayard has a chance to bring it back to the United States.

"We're pretty quietly confident," he said. "We've done our homework and also a number of us have been in the America's Cup before.