The seventh race of the best-of-9 series was rescheduled for Friday when wind of 15-20 knots was forecast.

The winner of the round meets defending champion New Zealand in a best-of-9 series starting Feb. 19 for the America's Cup, the top prize in sailing.

After four races in wind from 15 knots to 30 knots, the breeze on the calm Hauraki Gulf course off Auckland was less than 5 knots at Thursday afternoon's scheduled starting time. The third postponement of the series was announced after a 58-minute delay.

The opening of the series on Jan. 25 was delayed by heavy wind and rough seas. The American and Italian boats split the next two races in light to moderate winds before last Friday's race was postponed by light wind.

Prada won the next two races, last Saturday and Sunday. After an off day Monday, America One rallied to even the series with victories by 34 and 9 seconds.

"I have a lot of confidence in our team now and I think we're really in a good groove," U.S. skipper Paul Cayard said after the postponement was announced.

He said he preferred to sail in at least 8 knots of wind because it "gives us some sort of stability." In light wind, a speed change of 1 knot or a directional shift of just 10 degrees can have a huge impact on racing.

The wind speed was about 4 knots at 1:15 p.m. local time, the scheduled starting time. The average wind speed over any 10-minute period hadn't been more than 10 knots since 7 a.m. or more than 5 knots since 10 a.m.

And there was no indication it would pick up.

Thirty minutes after the postponement, the wind speed was just 3.2 knots. The race committee made its decision, knowing it was unlikely the wind would increase enough before 3 p.m., the latest starting time allowed by the rules.

The 18½-mile course has three upwind legs and three downwind legs. So far, the boats haven't shown much difference in speed and the outcomes of the races have been decided by equipment breakdowns and crew work.