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Five
Swiss sailors join Alinghi (09/18/01)
(source
: Alinghi.com)
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After selections done by the swiss Kiwis
(Russel Coutts, Brad Butterworth...) and Jochen Schuemann,
Nils Frei, Dominik Neidhart, Enrico De Maria, Yves Detrey
and Yann Maillet have been indeed hired as sailors. No surprise.
Only Enrico De Maria is going to participate for the first
time, the four others was formerly with the Fast Challenge
They will fly to Auckland, New Zealand in the next few weeks,
where they will join the rest of the crew and will endure
intensive training wich will enable them to integrate as
quickly as possible.
The Alinghi Team is now made up of 31 sailors. "We need
these additional sailors in order to have two complete crew
at our disposition, therefore enabling us to train properly
for the Match Racing" explained Jochen Schuemann, sport
Director for the Alinghi Team.
The first IACC 2003 will be launch by month and will be
chartered by plane in Auckland (New Zealand) where the team
will begin a long session of training. |
Wich
Place for a Swiss Defence (II) ? (09/02/01)
(source
: NY
Times)
|
At a press interview, Alinghi head Ernesto
Bertarelli expressed confidence that the 2003 swiss campaign
was in top form and, should he win, that he will keep an
open mind about where to defend the Cup.
"I would consider the United States or even Cowes," Bertarelli
said. "But the Mediterranean is where I learned to sail
and that's where my heart is. So probably there." |
Wich
Place for a Swiss Defence ? (08/24/01)
(source
: letemps.ch)
|
Interviewed in Cowes by Isabelle Musy,
Ernesto Bertarelli delivers very interesting information.
Besides that we learn that he will be the Alinghi navigator,
the young billionaire closes the question of a defence on
the Lake Geneva.
" I would like that the Cup takes place on the Lake Geneva.
Contrary that people think, it is not the size of the lake
or the quantity of wind that could put problem, but the
land cost. Furthermore, there is no available place around
the lake to build a marina and to welcome the bases of the
teams. It would be so in Europe, but I ignore where ". |
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In its usual daily training run against
the Swiss America’s Cup syndicate Swiss Alinghi. SUI-59,
the training boat of the Swiss Challenge for the America's
Cup 2003, lost her rudder as she was sailing off Sète, in
the Mediterranean.
"We were sailing normally, when I suddenly heard a loud
noise", said helmsman Jochen Schuemann. "I immediately looked
up the mast. But in fact, the sound came from down under:
it was the rudder". The boat started immediately to take
on water.
Mats Johansson, project leader for Victory Challenge, saw
events unfold. “It happened during the last race of the
day after we had just rounded the first mark. We were a
boat length behind the Swiss who suddenly made a 180-degree
about turn. First we all wondered what they were up to,
then we heard them shouting for help. They were sinking.
They had lost their rudder and water was rushing into the
boat. It had all the hallmarks of a real disaster.”
Luckily, both boats carry a pump, and the Victory Challenge
crew immediately gave theirs to the panicked Swiss. The
crew members activated the pumps, and got assistance from
the SNSM (Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer).
In the meantime, a number of the Swiss crew had jumped into
the water and had managed to apply something to the hole
where the rudder had been.
Alinghi was then towed to the shore. She is now on her cradle,
and the repairing work has already started. "We got quite
scared at first, said Schuemann. But in reality, there was
no serious problem. Thanks to the cohesion of the crew and
the rapidity of action, we took Alinghi safely home. We
will be sailing again before the end of the week", concluded
Schuemann. |
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Kai Bjorn, grinder-in-training at the Swiss
Alinghi America's Cup Challenge, is back to report in from
the team's training base in Sete, France.
The letters continue to be humorous and there is some good
information to be gleaned. |
Alinghi
boat (SUI-59) goes sailing (05/28/01)
(source
: ledefi.com)
|
After an intense period modifying the
former Fast Challenge Boat, the Alinghi Challenge have finally
had chance to test her new toy on the water. Tomorrow, the
Swiss testing programme will begin in Sète (France).
Alinghi will be out on the water for two to three weeks
every month, sharing the sea with the former NZL-32 from
Victory Swedish Challenge.
The syndicate representing the Société
Nautique de Genève modified the hull of SUI-59 (the
double-keeled boat of the Fast 2000 Be Happy has changed
that to a single one) and have changed the bow and the stern
of the boat.
The team's facilities (the operations base, the accommodation...),
shared with the Swedish Syndicate, are the ones used during
the '95 America's Cup by the French Challenge skippered
by Marc Pajot. |
Ernesto
Bertarelli unveils the Swiss Challenge
(04/19/01)
(source
: alinghi.com)
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Ernesto Bertarelli unveils the colours and the new
identity of the Swiss Challenge for the America's Cup,
in the presence of members of the syndicate.
"We have chosen 'passion red' to express our determination,
and anthracite grey to symbolize state-of-the-art technology.
As for 'Alinghi', it's an imaginary name that has brought
me good luck", declares Ernesto Bertarelli.
Nine months after the official launch of the Swiss Challenge,
the syndicate is christened "Alinghi", Swiss Challenge
for the America's Cup. Today, it brings together 85 professionals
of whom 26 are sailors and the same amount boatbuilders,
all of them united and determined to bring the America's
Cup to Europe. Under the experienced eye of skipper Russell
Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth, the 26 crewmembers
train in Geneva.
Training that is as physical as it is tactical. Soon,
they will be sailing in the Mediterranean, off Sète (FRA),
on their training boat SUI 59 refitted by the Swiss boat
yard Decision S.A. This boat, it's double keel removed,
now sports a classic rudder. The concept of this Class
America has brought together the skills of engineers,
designers, top technicians, as well as the know-how of
researchers at the EPFL (Polytechnic School of Lausanne).
Convinced by the professionalism of the syndicate, 'UBS',
the third largest bank in the world in business turnover,
and Infonet, one of the top specialists in communication
management, have joined the Alinghi Team as main partners.
Three co-sponsors and many official 'suppliers' have also
expressed their confidence by committing themselves to
the competition with Alinghi. The 500 days that separate
the Swiss Challenge from the first regatta of the Louis
Vuitton Cup will be put to good use in building two boats
for the competition and to the continued training of the
crew.
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