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…
Title: All pirates aboard
Location: Morges, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: A two hour sail ride for pirates of all ages. Family discounts.
For further info: +41 21 803 50 31
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 27 Jun 2009
End Time: 19:15
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
Title: “La Suisse” returns to Lake Geneva
Location: Lake Geneva region
Link out: Click here
Description: “La Suisse” a traditional steam boat first put into service on Lake Geneva in 1910, returns to Ouchy-Lausanne and Geneva. Special discounts apply for the inaugural cruise.
Start Date: 16 May 2009
End Date: 17 May 2009
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.
Sam Davies and her St Valentines arrival (photo: ©Jean Marie Liot, Vendee Globe)
An "animated" Marc Guillemot (photo: © Jean-Marie Iliot, 2009, Vendee Globe)
Updated 16 Feb, 08:00 Les Sables d’Olonnes, France (GenevaLunch) – Samantha Davies and her sailboat Roxy arrived third in the Vendee Globe solo race around the world, with a time of 95 days, four hours, 39 minutes, 14 February. But early Sunday, 16 February Marc Guillemot finished the race with a time that was better by one hour, 19 minutes and 25 seconds after his extraordinary final days sailing without a keel. He had been given a time allowance of 82 hours for his insistence on staying nearby after a fellow racer was badly injured.
Sam Davies and Roxy, her boat
Les Sables d’Olonne, France (GenevaLunch) – The Vendee Globe sailing race is now down to 11 more contestants, after Armel Le Cléac’h finished second this weekend, coming into harbour after more than 89 days at sea, five longer than the winner Michel Desjoyeaux.
Armel Le Cleac'h (photo: ©J Vapillon, Vendee Globe)
Les Sables d’Olonne, France (GenevaLunch) – The noise has died down from the celebrations last weekend for Michel Desjoyeaux’s big Vendee Globe win and all eyes are back on the water, as the other sailors head home, spread out across the ocean.
Michel Desjoyeaux, Vendee Globe winner (photo, Vendee Globe)
Update 2 Feb, 11:44 Les Sables d’Olonne, France (GenevaLunch) - A crowd estimated by Vendee Globe organizers at 125,000 people sailed or milled around waiting for winner Michel Desjoyeaux to sail in, with his 60-foot monohull, under sunny skies Sunday afternoon. The excitement turned to dismay for many Monday morning when second-place Roland Jourdain decided to end his race in the Azores after 84 days, trying to sail with a broken keel under very rough conditions.
Michel Desjoyeaux, Vendee Globe (image © Gilles Martin Regat 2009)
Les Sables d’Olonne, France (GenevaLunch) - The finish line looms in the Vendee Globe race to sail around the world in 80 days (or faster), with Michel Desjoyeaux 791 miles ahead of second-place Roland Jourdain, a very comfortable lead.
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) – Jean Le Cam, who capsized in the Vendee Globe round the world sailing race, was saved earlier this week by Vincent Riou, who won the last Vendee competition. Now Riou has capsized and is out of the race, leaving 12 of the original 30, who included two Swiss sailors, Bernard Stamm from Saint Prex, Vaud, and Dominique Wavre from Geneva.
A “full-scale rescue operation” is underway off the coast of Chile after Frenchman Jean Le Cam capsized in the Vendee Globe round the world sailing competition. CNN According to Le Monde, rescuers have made voice contact with the sailor. (Vendee Globe site in English)
Hydroptere, the flying boat: trimarin with hydrofoils
Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France (GenevaLunch) - Hydroptère, Alain Thébault’s flying boat, a trimarin on hydrofoils that is under development in partnership with EPFL polytechnic in Lausanne, Sunday pushed the sailing speed barrier yet further, marking 61 knots off Napoléon beach at Port-Louis. The boat ended by capsizing in the powerful squall.
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 (TSR, Fre) – Genevan Dominque Wavre continues to gain time in the Vendee Globe round the world sailing race, after his disappointing start, and he is now in 12th place.
Title: Christmas sailing competition
Location: Cully, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Starts at 9am
Date: 07 Dec 2008
Atlantic (GenevaLunch) – Bernard Stamm of St Prex, Vaud, rejoined the Vendee Globe round the world sailing race Thursday morning, but with a significant delay after his boat needed serious repairs following a collision with a fishing vessel Sunday.
Les sables d’Olonne, France (GenevaLunch) – Thirty sailors set off on the solo non-stop round the world race. The race was first run in 1989 and is held every four years.
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) – Europe’s largest sailing event, the Bol d’Or, will put 500 boats into the water 14-15 June to race the length of Lake Geneva.
The event is always a crowd pleaser, with thousands of people lining the lakefront and hillsides that give good views. This year the race puts the sailing focus back on the water, after months of legal wrangling over the America’s Cup races. The Cup holder, the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), Geneva’s Yacht Club, organizes the Bol d’Or Mirabaud.
Weather predictions (Bol d’Or pdf on SNG site) Friday morning are for calm, not a sailor’s best friend, but changeable, which is part of Lake Geneva’s charm and challenge for sailors.
The goal is to win the course Geneva-Le Bouveret-Geneva in real time.
The race officially ends 16:00 Sunday when the majority of competitors will have crossed the finish line if the wind is with them.
“The exciting contest will be between the “lake dragonflies” on their super-light hydrofoils and their fastest competitors, the Décision 35,” according to the SNG. “Hull-less flying boats like the new Mirabaud LX on hydrofoils, which has already won the Lake Neuchâtel Bol d’Or in one fell swoop, will be a big attraction.
“In the D35 category the competition is very tight between Okalys, Alinghi, Foncia and Ladycat, but Zen Too must not be overlooked, having recently won the Geneva-Rolle-Geneva regatta. And the M2 class, known for its top performers Tilt and Team Parmigiani (formerly Team New Wave), must not be overlooked, if only for its thirty-odd boats. A fleet of increasingly threatening challengers to the big catamarans!”
Those who prefer to have commentary and close-up views of the fastest moments can pick up the race live on their computer screens.
Bol d’Or 2007, GenevaLunch
Photos, courtesy of Bol d’Or Mirabaud. Click on images to view larger.
