Home sweet home!

Ernesto Bertarelli, team president and D35 helmsman, was delighted: “The Alinghi sailing team has done a magnificent job this summer winning on the water and it shows in the results throughout the season. Winning both the iShares Cup circuit, our class at the Maxi Worlds and the Challenge Julius Baer championship on the Lake is a tribute to the sailors’ skill and their world class ability to adapt to any sailing platform." Ernesto shared the helming role with team mate Murray Jones throughout the season and the other regular crew members were Nils Frei (trimmer), Yves Detrey (bowman) and Pierre-Yves Jorand (mainsail trimmer).

Murray, helmsman for this final event, commented on a great win against some hard competition in the form of not only Alain Gautier who is consultant to Alinghi, but also Franck Cammas on Zen Too who works for BMW Oracle Racing: “The pressure was off a little today since we knew we only had one race and we had already won the event and the series. We spent most of our time trying to keep out of everyone’s way and not affect the results as some of the positions of the other teams were crucial for the results of the regatta. I’ve really enjoyed the whole season; it’s been great sailing against some of the legends of multihull racing.”

This D35 circuit is part of a much wider picture for the America’s Cup Defender, Alinghi, and is just one of several multihull learning platforms that the sailing team has been focusing on this summer. The Defender faces the possibility of a Deed of Gift (DoG) match, something currently being pursued by the American challenger BMW Oracle Racing in the New York Court of Appeals, and so the team is preparing for all eventualities. To this possible end, Alinghi is continuing to build the DoG boat in Switzerland and will continue to hone its multihull sailing skills with the 41footer ‘Alinghi Black’ in Valencia. In parallel the team cannot neglect its monohull training and continues to race on the Vrolijk IRC66 Numbers and the maxi yacht Alfa Romeo and with an eye on the team’s vision of a multi-challenge America’s Cup, Brad Butterworth, Alinghi team skipper, is organising challenger meetings this autumn to plan for the future.

The Alinghi D35 team
Murray Jones, helmsman
Tanguy Cariou, tactician
Pierre-Yves Jorand, mainsail trimmer
Nils Frei, foresail trimmer
Coraline Jonet, trimmer
Yves Detrey, bow/mastman

Today’s results
Race 5
Okalys, Foncia, Julius Baer, Ladycat, Cadence, Alinghi, Zen Too, Romandie.com, Smarthome, Zebra 7.

Ranking for the Grand Prix Beau Rivage Palace
Alinghi 7 pts
Okalys 11 pts
Foncia 14 pts
Julius Baer 16 pts
Cadence 18 pts
Zen Too 20 pts
Ladycat 20 pts
Smart home 25 pts
Zebra 7 27 pts
Romandie.com 35 pts

General ranking Challenge Julius Baer
Alinghi 11 pts
Foncia 19 pts
Okalys 26 pts
Zen Too 27 pts
Cadence 38 pts
Julius Baer 38 pts
Ladycat 40 pts
Zebra 7 46 pts
Smart Home 47 pts
Romandie.com 60 pts