SPAIN/CANADA/NEW ZEALAND: YACHTING - Defender of the America´s Cup Alinghi tests its latest boat while challengers change into race mode in Europe's first America's Cup

The Swiss team Alinghi prepared for the final America's Cup Match in June. On March 2nd 2003 Alinghi brought the America's Cup to Europe for the first time in 152 years. While a field of eleven teams begin this years competition to race Alinghi, the Swiss America's Cup defender uses the remaining time to test it's latest boat SUI100 and also perform continuous in house defender trials to prepare for the America's Cup matches. "We don't want to be caught cold in June but also have enough race experience to be hot and prepared for the best who makes it to the end," Alinghi sports director Jochen Schuemann told Reuters on March 20 in Valencia. As Defender of the America's Cup Alinghi made modifications of the America's Cup racing mode and boat class in favour of small and new teams. The introduction of Louis Vuitton Acts in the years between the actual America's Cup Match provide opportunities to train the crew and test technical development under racing conditions. "Racing those Acts has allowed all the teams to see us closely, to see Emirates Team New Zealand closely, to see Team BMW Oracle closely, and so the smaller teams and new teams have suddenly been able to get close to the big teams," says Alinghi's Managing Director Grant Simmer. Alinghi's principal designer Rolf Vrolijk also expects a closer races among all teams. "The parameters, that means the possibilities to have different options between raisure, sail area, the length, displacement, have been reduced to fixed numbers more or less, which means that the challenge is a little bit reduced. We are working now mainly optimizing little areas and trying to get the total package optimized. That is the area where everyone works very hard this time" says Vrolijk. Grant Simmers proudly points out that the arrival of the new boat was one week ahead of a schedule set up three years ago and the boat was ready to sail in strong wind immediately. "We haven`t really had any problems with the boat so that's a relief and so the engIneering staff and the boat building staff have done a fantastic job," says Simmers. However close the race will be among the field of challenging teams will be; the Alinghi organization appears to be ticking away with the precision of a swiss watch.

ITN Source | March 30, 2007

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