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Who
can beat Ernesto Bertarelli ? (06/15/03)
(source
: Yahoo.fr)
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Not satisfied with merely winning the America's
Cup, Ernesto Bertarelli has now triumphed in the major
yacht event of the year on the Lake of Geneva – the
Bol d’Or (Golden Bowl) with the catamaran Alinghi.
The Bol d'Or is the most important lake yachting regatta
in the world and is of international renown. For this
reason it attracts an increasing number of participants
each year (more than 550 over all categories started
this year).
This is his fifth win in this race (he won in 1997,
1999, 2000 and 2001). |
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Young
Blood for Alinghi (06/10/03)
(source
: La
Tribune de Genève)
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Following Team Alinghi's America's Cup victory
in Auckland in March 2003, the Société Nautique
de Genève (SNG), the new trustee of the Cup, has
appointed AC Management Ltd to organise the 32nd
America's Cup.
At the same time, Russell Coutts has shouldered
the responsibility of running the Alinghi's sailing
Team in a new challenge : to become the first european
team to defend successfully the America's Cup.
"I will be more involved in the sailing team
and I will work in close cooperation with our design
team", Russell Coutts said. "At the beginning
of the next year, a team's managing director will
be named, charged with managing the whole team".
"The danger is to believe that we will
defend successfully the America's Cup with no changes",
Coutts added. " The others will be inspired
by the methods which led us to success".
After having carried off the America's Cup,
the real challenge is to recreate a new winning
team and to determine what they did well and what
they could improve.
Alinghi is very keen to retain and build on the
talent and experience they have developed within
the team and most of the Swiss syndicate’s sailing
team (23) has been retained, under the continued
direction of Jochen Schüemann.
Nevertheless, a "young blood" effect is necessary
explained Russell Coutts and "around seven
or eight people will be selected to renovate the
team" (among which a new helmsman "if
an opportunity will be given").
Design team members include Grant Simmer, Rolf Vroljik,
Dirk Kramers and Mike Schreiber. Confidential
discussions are also underway with a view to strengthening
that team with four current America’s Cup designers
but for obvious reasons these discussions are confidential
at this stage.
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The
Great Return of Russell Coutts (05/23/03)
(sources
: YCCS
& Scuttlebutteurope)
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The offshore race of
the IMS Rolex World Championship is underway in Capri,
Italy, with some America's Cuppers like Vasco Vascotto,
Tommaso Chieffi or Pedro Campos.
After a lay-day for the fleet competing, race five
has started but the public's attention was elsewhere.
Confirming the rumors that have been floating around
town from over the last few days, Russell Coutts arrived
in Capri for his first competition since the America's
Cup.
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The kiwi sailor is guest of Leonardo Ferragamo, head
of the well known Italian fashion House Salvatore
Ferragamo and owner of the Finnish shipyard Swan.
Russell Coutts will be steering Ferragamo's Swan 45,
Cuordileone. The champion will participate in the
final 2 days of racing on both Friday and Saturday
(with Francesco de Angelis Pace as tactician).
Coutts was very friendly but in a hurry. His press
assistant asked journalists not to ask any questions
regarding the America's Cup or the Rolex event because
"Russell is here as a guest of Mr. Ferragamo and is
here simply to sail". . |
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Correction
about Alinghi’s plans (05/17/03)
(source
: Alinghi)
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In a e-mail I received today from Alinghi it
has been pointed out to me that I incorrectly reported
the plans concerning San Francisco.
In fact, there will be two different events at the
same place but at different times.
The first in mid-September will be a rematch of last
February’s Louis Vuitton Final beetween between Alinghi's
cup-winning boat SUI-64 and Oracle's USA-76.
The second will be the IACC Worlds, Oct. 11 to 19,
in which Alinghi is not taking part. |
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Alinghi’s
plans for the next few years (05/15/03)
(sources
: FoxSports
& Reuters)
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For Alinghi, the activity has been full on almost
non-stop since the day they left New Zealand with
the Cup. In Paris, Russell Coutts, Bernard Labro and
Rolf Vrolijk (and the America’s Cup) met today the
journalists during a press conference where they outlined
the programmes of the Swiss Team.
There was no announcement regarding the venue for
the 32nd America’s Cup but Alinghi representatives
did shed a little light on the team’s plans for the
next few years.
"With regard to the future, our first rule is to forget
the past", underlined Russell Coutts. "what we achieved
in the last edition will not be enough to gain the
next time. Alinghi must now climb a new level."
"The objective is to gain next America's Cup
and not to defend it", insisted Rolf Vrolijk. "Our
goal is to be accepted and respected like a world
class sport team, whether the name of Alinghi is recognized
like Ferrari or Real of Madrid".
First on Alinghi’s agenda is the IACC Worlds, Oct.
11 to 19. The event, hosting by IACC-San Francisco
group, may draw as many as 10 ACC Yachts - from the
first buit to possibly the last - to San Francisco
Bay for a week of fleet and match racing.
Alinghi and Oracle BMW Racing have already committed
for a kind of a "reenactment" of last February’s Louis
Vuitton Final. Most of the Swiss syndicate’s sailing
team has been retained and the sailing crew Alinghi
brings to San Francisco will be nearly identical to
the team that won the Cup in March.
In addition to Alinghi and Oracle, the French Le Défi
and K-Challenge teams have signed up. Team NZ and
Sweden's Victory Challenge are on the fence.
After that, the sailors will be able to pursue their
own programmes (with match-racing, offshore races
or olympics series, explained Russell Coutts*) before
the team will reunite next summer to begin training
anew.
A series of America’s Cup Class regattas leading up
to the America’s Cup in 2007 will help to keep Alinghi
sharp.
Alinghi is seriously eyeing a more open regatta in
Newport, R.I., in the summer of 2004. Regattas in
Europe will follow with a World Championship in 2006
and then a fleet race regatta just before the challenger
eliminations in 2007. |
* It's rumoured
that Coutts himself is preparing a major enter in Star
Series
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