Three
famous names for Alinghi (10/07/03)
(source
: Sailing
Anarchy)
(Here are some excerpts from a Laurie Fullerton's
Interview with Russell Coutts published on Sailing
Anarchy website).
LF - Is Alinghi beginning to recruit and prepare
for the 2007 America's Cup as yet ?
RC - The preparations have already begun for the next
America's Cup. The major difference in our philosophy
is we are not the challenger. We need to develop two
teams that are capable of a fantastic level of competitiveness
at a similar level with the challengers. Previously,
it was a long time between drinks.
The races now will become more and more competitive
starting with the June regatta in Newport in 2004.
We want to get three helmsmen into the mix. If you
sail against the same people day in/day out we will
not be as competitive. We need to stay very competitive
as the defender.
LF - What kind of new team members are you recruiting
or looking for ?
RC - We have already brought some skilled people onto
the team. We have hired four or five new sailors and
we have reinforced that with some new enthusiasm.
We are in competition with other syndicates as well.
As far as our designers go with have Rolf Vrolijk,
Grant Simmer, Michael Richelson [former head designer
for America One and Illbrück Challenge] and Alan
Jenkins [former F1 designer].
The team has also recruited Juan Vila as tactician,
who has sailed in four Around the World races, including
navigating the illbruck Challenge to victory in the
most recent Volvo Ocean Race.
Rolf
Vrolijk prepares the 2007 generation boat (09/19/03)
(source
: La
tribune de Genève)
Rolf Vrolijk, Alinghi's principal designer,
is in San Francisco to observe his SUI 64 and her
American opponent USA 76. Right now, he works to
prepare a successor to the America's Cup winner
"Currently, as we don't know yet the place
we sail, we are creating programs to be ready when
we will be able to draw a new boat", Vrolijk
said. "Our budget was increased and we want
to focus on sectors we had neglected a bit due to
lack of time, like the keel".
In this perspective, the design team backbone will
not be modified. In addition to Rolf Vrolijk, Australian-born
Grant Simmer will stay Coordinator of the design
team with Naval architect Manuel Ruiz de Elvira
(responsible for the Spanish boat Bravo España in
1999, highly regarded as one of the fastest boats
that year), performance simulation expert Dirk Kramers
and sail designer Mike Schreiber.
The other specialists who made SUI 64 this fatal
weapon will also find their place at the design
team. Luc Dubois, James Bungener, Pierre-Yves Jorand
or Jean-Claude Monnin are, and will remain, a key
factor of success.
More, Russell Coutts has shouldered new responsibilities
and he he should play a greater role in the design
process.
The time is now for observation but, far from being
satisfied to wait, Rolf Vrolijk is full with new
ideas.
"The ACC Rules have reached their limits in
terms of hull shape", Vrolijk said. "But
there are still some details to improve which will
help us to gain speed".
"This time, we don't start with an empty white
sheet of paper", he added. "We have acquired
a solid experience during these three last years.
It's clear that the current boat would be better
adapted for the Mediterranean Sea. On the Atlantic
Ocean [Cascaïs ?], it will be necessary to
design very different boats due to the wind, the
tides and the swell."
It is planned that the team's first 2007 generation
boat will be built in Switzerland, by the Decision
SA boatyard. Her launch is planned in spring 2005,
about one year before the expected start of the
America's Cup.
As Jochen Schuemann announced in June (See above),
the real challenge for Alinghi is to recreate a
new winning team after having carried off the America's
Cup. Meanwhile, the others syndicates will be inspired
by the methods which led the Swiss Team to success.
This is particularly true when one consider the
almost totally revamped Oracle's crew, built around
Chris Dickson with new top world-class sailors like
Gavin Brady, John Kostecki, Craig Monk or
Ross Halcrow.
More, a new matter for Alinghi will be to rely solely
on in-house competition to get match ready, as none
of the future Challengers will sail against them,
and there will be no Defender selection series.
For these reasons, it's now an essential part of
the future Alinghi's success to create two first
class teams for the Americas' Cup 2007.
"We need the best in both teams to improve
together", explained triple Olympic gold medallist
Jochen Schuemann, who will be the skipper for Swiss
yachting syndicate Alinghi at the Moët Cup
regatta.
Now, around seven or eight people will be selected
to renovate the team. But the new Alinghi's
crew do not seem to be more "Swiss colored"
as was the case in the last America's Cup Campaign.
"Alinghi is and will continue to be a Swiss
Project but, in the same time, it's an international
crew", Schuemann explained. "What interest
us is not to know where the people come from but
if they are or not good".
"We must be realistic", Alinghi's Swiss Genoa
trimmer Niels Frei said in San Francisco. "As
nationality requirements have been dropped,
nothing is obliged to recruit Swiss sailors".
There's nine already on the team in the team but
this number should not be reevalued. It's understoof
that Enrico de Maria, Yves Detrey and Pierre-Yves
Jorand signed up for a second campaign with Ernesto
Bertarelli.
In spite of Alinghi's discretion, first names are
flying around : Genoa trimmer Lorenzo Mazza (formerly
with Prada), Australian grinder Mark McTegue and
Spanish Olympic medallist Jordi Calafat.
There's no urgence yet and, after the Moët
Cup, the Alinghi's sailors will be able to pursue
their own programmes before the team will reunite
next summer to begin training anew.
Some
news about SUI 64 ... (07/01/03)
(source
: Alinghi)
While the team members went about their plans
for vacations, or participated in regattas on the
International Match Racing circuit, the three America's
Cup Class boats (SUI 59, SUI 64 and SUI 75) of Alinghi
sat neatly wrapped up in Cherbourg, their storage
place for the months to come.
The easy to access port of Manche facilitated the
comings and goings of the boats. Starting with SUI
64, which left the port at the beginning of July in
order to make the journey to San Francisco to participate
in the regattas that have been organised by Oracle
BMW Racing from the 14th to the 20th of August.
But the boat will not go it alone. All of her equipment
must follow, and this represents the modest volume
of 160 square meters - that is, four 40 foot containers,
some of which are cooled between 10 and 14 degrees
centigrade to ensure that the right temperature level
that was best adapted to preserve the glue that has
been used on the sails since their inception is constantly
maintained. This also ensures the longevity of the
sails. Two large zodiacs will also take part in the
voyage.
After about 30 days at sea, the boats and the materials
will be welcomed on the west coast of the United States
by the members of the Shore Team as well as the sailors
- about a dozen people who, in just two weeks, will
put the boat back in the water in configuration for
racing. In effect, the hulls will travel nude.
Once everything arrives, the team members will have
to install the deck fittings, step the mast, re-fit
the rigging, and bolt on the keel. They will adjust
the shrouds, lube the winches, check the sails and
calibrate the electronics. And there is a plethora
of small details to go over in order to ensure that
the boat becomes, once again, the rocket it was on
the Hauraki Gulf.
Next, SUI 64 will participate in the Newport, Rhode
Island regattas in May 2004. It is therefore a strong
possibility that the boat will remain in the United
States during the interim.
During this time, SUI 64 and SUI 75 will remain in
storage in their dry and well ventilated shed, waiting
for the races that are planned in the Mediterranean,
as well as the announcement of the European city that
will become the host of the next America's Cup.
Nobody
is signed his seat on the Alinghi boat (06/24/03)
(source
: Sailing
World)
"I will join the team in the same function,
being the sailing team manager, and also trying to
be one of the sailors in the afterguard” said Jochen
Schuemann in an interview with the Sailing World’s
Editor . "but that will be an open, in-house
competition to find out who will be the best team".
"So nobody is signed—and didn’t sign last time--to
[be guaranteed] his seat on the race boat. That’s
not the way we think and we do it", he added.
Like Russell Coutts (see above), the German sailor
is thinking that the real challenge is to recreate
a new winning team after having carried off the America's
Cup.
"It’s important to build again and maintain the
spirit we have right now, which probably won’t be
easy, because when you come from the winning situation,
in some ways you don’t want to change the winning
team—you know the famous slogan—but at the same time
you know you have to do even better to win again",
Schuemann explained.
"To find new momentum, because the old momentum
will run out, you have to find new incentives and
ways to motivate everyone again on an even higher
level".
To do it, the first step was to talk to the team members
and resigned them. Now, most of the Swiss syndicate’s
sailing team has been retained.
"(Alinghi team members) staying with us again",
Jochen Schuemann said. "They’re obviously proud
staying with us, which is good for us. But we wanted
to secure them because every single member was part
of and made that team what it was. We want to go on
with them".
