Italian men appear to prefer their women on the cat-walk than on the deck. Last week the former world number one tennis player Steffi Graf was wandering around the dock area where the Challenger series for the Americas Cup was taking place in New Zealand.

Graf was invited on board the AmericaOne boat and was treated to one of the decisive races. The 22-times Grand Slam winner came on board as its "17th person". Each boat carries a crew of 16 with a 17th person carried as an observer.

Italian boat Prada, however, does not allow women on board for fear it will bring them bad luck and usually carries 73-year-old Renzo Guidi, a friend of syndicate head Patrizio Bertelli, as its 17th man.

"We have a gentleman who stays with us who we are happy with," said a spokesman. "We'd like to take girls when we go cruising."