Alinghi 5 sailing first time, 20 July 2009
Photos, ©Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi (click on images to view larger)
Le Bouveret, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The long-awaited new Alinghi sailcraft hit the water at the eastern end of Lake Geneva today to much excitement: the weather was glorious, and legal tussles faded into the background as the magnificent-looking boat had its maiden sail. The Swiss America’s Cup Defender, Alinghi 5, was watched by hundreds of spectators as it went out on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, for the first time at noon, Monday 20 July.
The boat is a 90 foot multihull which took 100,000 man-hours to build. It was put on the lake 9 July and its first foray onto the lake today was in a light 5-7 ESE ‘Vauderon’, according to the Swiss weather service, Meteoswiss.
Strategist Murray Jones, who is running the trials on the new boat, said afterwards:
To those of you who subscribe to our Google/Feedburner rss e-mail feed, please note that it failed to include several articles from Wednesday 15 July. We’re sorry that you missed them and unfortunately have no explanation for this, but here they are: EPFL mathematicians crack elliptical curve encryption problem, Vaud and Schumacher agree to small dock, shoreline group opposed, Alinghi accused by US club of secretly plotting with Intl Sailing Federation, C0ngo people fail to get Mobutu money, Soldier killed, another injured, in parachute crash
Alinghi celebrates its America's Cup win, July 2007
New York, NY, USA (GenevaLunch) – A court in New York will ask the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), home to Alinghi, to show cause why it should not be held in contempt of court, at the request of The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) of San Francisco, California, the GGYC announced 14 July. The GGYC also accused the Swiss sailing club, in its press release, of entering “into a secret agreement with the International Sailing Federation, the organization which will have a central role in selecting match officials and sailing jury.”
This is the fourth time since the last America’s Cup race, in July 2007, that the GGYC is taking the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), notes Alinghi. The SNG, in its reply press release, limits itself to accusing the other club of fighting in the courts rather than on water and saying it continues to wait for the other club to supply the court with required documents. Both groups claim to have court decisions on their side.
Images: © 2009 Stefano Grattini for Alinghi, mast airborne over Villeneuve 7 July
Update 18:00 Le Bouveret, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Alinghi, the next version of the boat that will fight for the America’s Cup world sailing title in 2010, is sitting on Lake Geneva, after its dramatic arrival by helicopter. The mast of the new Alinghi catamaran was lowered into the lake at Le Bouveret, the eastern tip of Lake Geneva, Wednesday morning 8 July, as crowds gathered to watch. The weather was not been cooperative, however, and delivery by helicopter of the rest of the 90-foot boat was delayed until 16:00.
© Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi 2009
Villeneuve, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The 90-foot catamaran that Alinghi has spent 100,000 manhours building for the next America’s Cup race was unveiled in Villeneuve 4 July. The boat now goes through a de-bugging process before it will be launched by helicopter into Lake Geneva this week for its first time out on the water. Alinghi, as the winner in July 2007 of the last race, one of the sailing world’s top events, is the Defender of the America’s Cup. This gives it the right to set the rules, including those for the boat type, for the next race, and the new boat’s design has been a tightly-guarded secret.
The race, says Alinghi, is scheduled for February 2010, but a series of court battles Read more…
Going nowhere fast, Bol d'Or 2009 (image: P Gaechter)
Lake Geneva, 10:00 starting time, view from Montreux: little wind
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The wind failed to show up for the Bol d’Or (“Golden Bowl”) race which goes from Geneva to the other end of the lake at Le Bouveret and back.
The record for the race was set in 1994, at 5h01’51″ but this weekend the winner, Alain Gautier, for team Foncia, took 19h33’51″ and arrived at 5:00 in the morning, having inched along all night. The Alinghi team came in ninth.
Details, RSR, Fre
Alinghi into the water, Lausanne April 2009 (image, Carlo Borlenghi)
New York, NY, USA (GenevaLunch) - Conflicting reports are surfacing about what exactly a New York Supreme Court judge ordered 14 May, in the legal case linked to sailing’s America’s Cup , but it appears that Justice Shirley Kornreich upheld an earlier decision that Alinghi and BMW Oracle must race against each other by February 2010 at the latest. AFP wire service reports that Kornreich insists the two must have what will amount to a rare battle between two boats in the America’s Cup, but the story sheds little light on where this race fits into the planned Cup races that include several other teams.
Alinghi relaunch, 2008
San Francisco, California, USA and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Your average non-sailor might be forgiven for thinking America’s Cup is a game of ping-pong rather than arguably the world’s most famous sailing race. The legal battle between the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), home to Alinghi, and US-based Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), home to Oracle, continues, with the GGYC asking a court in New York for a new hearing, set for 15 May. Alinghi is the holder of the America’s Cup and Oracle is the official Challenger. Last week, 24 April, the Tribune de Geneve carried the cheerful headline that Alinghi had agreed to Oracle’s demand for a multi-hull race in 2010. For about an hour it appeared that the bickering might be over and a race could be run.
Alinghi after winning one of the America's Cup races in July 2007 (photo © Th Martinez 2007)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Alinghi, as the holder of the 32nd America’s Cup trophy, known as the defender, announced Thursday that 19 teams have been approved for the 33rd Cup, now scheduled to take place in 2010. All of the teams that competed in the last race in 2007, except BMW Oracle from the US, are lined up to take part.
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The sailing world in Switzerland has a surprising amount to talk about during what should be such a down-season, when sailing on Lake Geneva doesn’t appeal to many.
Photo, ©Ivo Rovira, 2008 for Alinghi
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – “Tremendous arrogance and lack of respect for the teams involved” is the way Geneva-based Alinghi is referring to the announcement Monday by Oracle BMW that it will not participate in the 33rd America’s Cup sailing race but will instead continue to fight Alinghi in the courts.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A meeting of 11 teams, or “challengers” for the America’s Cup sailing trophy, held at the Société Nautique de Genève Thursday, appears to be moving the next America’s Cup, embroiled by lawsuits, closer to the water.
Madrid, Spain (GenevaLunch) – Alinghi’s president, Ernesto Bertarelli, and skipper Brad Butterworth, are taking the first steps with the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) towards organizing the 33rd America’s Cup.
BMW Oracle 90 foot trimaran, sea trials in Washington, USA, in September 2008. Photographer: Gilles Martan-Raget
San Francisco, USA and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) has formally offered to end the months-old litigation in US courts against the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), home to Alinghi, if the SNG will accept a multi-hull race under rules similar to those of the 2007 America’s Cup and with GGYC sailing in the race.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Nicolas Grange’s Okalys won the Grand Prix Chopard during the 2008 Julius Baer challenge in the waters of Lake Geneva, positioning itself ahead of Alinghi and Foncia.
Photos reproduced with permission, Loris von Siebenthal, My Image
In spite of this first loss, Alinghi’s owner, Ernesto Bertarell said he was “happy with the result” as Okalys was more constant during the three days of the Grand Prix and Alinghi is only one point behind. The second event of the 2008 challenge will take place 24-25 May at the Rolle Open.
In more sailing news, America’s Cup challenger BMW-Oracle announced that French ship designer VPLP (Van Peteghem Lauriot Prévost) is working on a new multihull boat for the US team. According to AFP this is a trimaran, being built in Anacortes, north of Seattle on the US Pacific coast.
Update July 2009 New York, NY, USA (GenevaLunch) - The Challenger of the Record for the 33rd America’s Cup sailing race is now the GGYC (Golden Gate Yachting Club) in San Francisco, following a ruling by a judge in New York Tuesday that disqualified the Valencia-based Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV).
Photo, Ivo Rivero 2007, Alinghi, Dubai November 2007. Reprinted with permission.
The Spanish club had been named as the Challenger of the Record by Alinghi, the Swiss-based team that won the 32nd race in July 2007, and Valencia was selected as the home for the next race. The America’s Cup is the top event in the sailing world.
Today’s ruling is based on a technicality, that the CNEV had not held its annual regatta before becoming the Challenger of Record, Michel Hodara, chief operating officer of ACM (America’s Cup Management), which oversees the races, told GenevaLunch. Alinghi’s choice was hotly contested from the start by BMW Oracle, which was not the challenger for the 2007 race.
Emirates Team New Zealand was the Challenger of Record in July 2007, having won the Louis Vuitton race series against several other competitors. Alinghi defeated Emirates 5-2 in a very close set of races.
The judge’s decision is a blow to the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), the yacht club that is home to Alinghi. The SNG was taken to court in August by BMW Oracle, whose home is the GGYC in California.
[17:30 - This just in from Valencia, Alinghi headquarters today: "Riding high on the success of winning the America’s Cup again and in its desire to bring the Cup to the people, Alinghi will be doing a ‘homecoming tour’ of Switzerland with the famous trophy starting in Geneva on the 8 July at the Parc de Eaux Vives from 17:00 onwards. This homecoming festival coincides with the 150th anniversary of the creation of the America’s Cup event and will be open to the public. From there members of the team and the America’s Cup will tour Zurich (10 July), Bern (12 July) and Lugano (14 July) to meet the public and recount the adventures of this victorious 32nd America’s Cup campaign. Additionally, the team will look to visit other countries and continents over the next few months to give sailing and sports fans worldwide the opportunity to see the Auld Mug first-hand and understand more about the unique and growing competition that is the America’s Cup."]
Valencia, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - That’s it, folks: Swiss Alinghi has won the America’s Cup again in a breathtaking finish, with a two second lead! Final score in the world’s top sailing event: Allinghi 5, Emirates New Zealand 2. Check out what the Alinghi team is saying in Valencia and what the Club Nautique de Genève is saying (Fre) at home in Geneva.
