VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters):

THE START of the Louis Vuitton Cup was delayed for a second day yesterday after the spring wind failed to pick up enough for the America's Cup class yachts to race.

The 11 teams racing for the LV Cup and the right to challenge Swiss defender Alinghi took to the water under brilliantly sunny skies with a forecast of wind just strong enough to race but out at sea, the breeze was too sketchy.

The organisers require a steady wind of at least seven knots (13 kph) to start racing.

After a soggy, cold spring, Valencia's sea breeze is taking some time to arrive but forecasters reckon it should pick up over the rest of the week and blow strongly enough for some good racing at the weekend.

The LV Cup schedule leaves some days free as reserve sessions to make up for bad weather but organisers will be hoping not to miss too many more days at the start of the regatta, which is made up of two round robins, and then semi-finals and finals raced as the best of nine.

The winner is then due to take on Alinghi for the America's Cup, sailing's most prestigious prize, from June 23.

The organisers will try to start racing again today.