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Port
of Sète opens next America's Cup bid (01/26/03)
(sources
: Reuters
&
l'Equipe,
by Greg on 2003ac.com)
|
A few days before the beginning of the XXXIe
America's Cup, French Mediterranean port of Sète,
location of the two last Annual regattas of the Societe
Nautique de Geneve, stood as candidate for organisation
of the next competition, should Alinghi win the Cup.
"A few days ago, we officially send a bid to
the persons in charge for Alinghi", said the
mayor of Sète, François Commeinhes.
Mediterranean port delegated the French Olympic champion
Thierry Peponnet (former tactician on Sixième Sens),
for defending their cause in Auckland.
"The Sète's venue is excellent",
he said. "Sète has a remarkable, single potential.
The arranged port will be ideal for such a competition".
Sète, where the Swede and Alinghi trained before
flying to Auckland, will face competition from several
other Mediterranean cities, who have all expressed
interest in hosting the competition.
The fabulous new marina at Cascais, just to the west
of Lisbon (Portugal), seems to be the favourite. Patricio
Monteiro de Barros, the Commodore of the Naval Club
of Cascais was in Auckland recently and met with Bertarelli.
"Our club is 60 years old and already organized more
than 30 European and World championships", said
the Commodore. "Besides the existing facilities,
the current plan is to develop the former fishing
docks area at the entrance of the Lisbon harbour,
right by the Belem tower, for 15 team bases and accommodations
for all the crew".
"This would be the perfect venue for the Cup",
he said. "Russell Coutts already visited our
place".
Already involved in The Race multihull race organization,
the city of Marseilles mentions early contacts.
"We are waiting for the visit of Alinghi representatives
in February", said Guy Philip, in charge of the
City communication. "We are interested, but it
will all depend on the cost."
With the support of the king of Spain, Juan Carlos,
an accomplished sailor, Palma de Majorque is regularly
mentioned.
List of cup venues also includes Barcelona, Naples,
Cagliari (on the island of Sardinia), Punta Ala (on
Isola d'Elba) and Saint Tropez.
A decision on who would host the next America's Cup
will not be known until towards the end of the February
match. |
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Bertarelli
says more about the next Cup (01/11/03)
(Source
:
Le
Temps)
|
Yesterday, Alinghi said there was a 95 percent
chance that it will defend the America's Cup in Europe.
Marseilles, Nice or Cannes or off France or Italy's
Adriatic coasts are suggested.
Today, Ernesto Bertarelli confirms that, if Alinghi
takes the trophy from New Zealand next month, he would
favor defending the cup in European waters.
"My first choice would be the Mediterranean," he said.
"Sentimentally I am very attached to Italy. I was
born an Italian".
But that wouldn't necessarily be the best venue,"
said Alinghi President and navigator, listing the
Spanish cities of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca,
the Portuguese capital Lisbon and the French resort
of St. Tropez as other possibilities.
The competition is still open... |
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Speculations
on a venue for the next defense (01/09/03)
(Source
:
Foxsports)
|
Swiss syndicate Alinghi said Thursday there was
a 95 percent chance that it will defend the America's
Cup in Europe if it takes the trophy from New Zealand
next month. But depending on who wins the best-of-nine
series in February, it could also be held in Hawaii,
Singapore, on San Francisco Bay or back in Auckland.
The answer is simple in New Zealand's case. If Team
New Zealand wins, the next regatta -- the 32nd since
1851 -- will be held on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf in
late 2005 and early 2006.
If either of the challenger finalists takes the Cup
from New Zealand, the location would be a big question
mark. For practical and other reasons Oracle may not
host a defense in its home waters on San Francisco
Bay and Alinghi has the ability to explore a range
of options for their first defense.
Uncertainty has surrounded the location of a regatta
hosted by Alinghi because landlocked Switzerland would
be the first Cup defender from a country that has
no coastline.
Its eligibility for the challenger series was once
questioned for that reason, because the America's
Cup's Deed of Gift specifies a challenging yacht club
must hold its annual regatta on the sea or an arm
of the sea.
Alinghi, backed by Societe Nautique de Geneve, represent
a tradition of lake sailors but were saved from exclusion
for the Cup by the Societe's hosting of annual ocean
series.
Eager not to appear presumptuous, Alinghi, which begins
a best-of-nine challenger final against Oracle of
San Francisco on Saturday, refused until Thursday
to speculate on a venue for a Swiss defense.
"We are now obliged to consider the question," said
Alinghi spokesman Bernard Schopfer. "It is logical
we should do so at this stage." The Alinghi defense
would likely be held on the Mediterranean or on Europe's
Atlantic coast, Schopfer said.
"The idea from the start has been to bring the Cup
to Europe and if an Alinghi defense will happen it
will happen in Europe," he said. "The possibility
of that is now 95 percent. We haven't got a specific
place in mind but we are looking for a nice, windy
place because we want the best location we can find."
Alinghi may consider venues on the Mediterranean between
Marseilles (under the Euroméditerrannée
project ?) and Nice or Cannes or off France
or Italy's Adriatic coasts. Spanish venues have also
been suggested.
A European regatta would be expected to attract more
entrants from Italy and France and, possibly, others
from Germany and Scandinavia.
The Swiss team is playing down speculation it would
consider keeping the Cup in Auckland and defending
it on the Hauraki Gulf. Alinghi's skipper Russell
Coutts is a New Zealander as are many key members
of its crew and it was suggested the Gulf would be
as much a home venue for them as any European location.
Singapore had also been suggested as a possible venue,
made more attractive by financial incentives offered
by the prospective host nation.
The venue for a Cup defense if Oracle wins the trophy
is also not certain. Some yachting experts doubt a
full Cup regatta could be held within San Francisco
Bay.
First, Oracle is challenging on behalf of the Golden
Gate Yacht Club, a small club with a modest membership
and simple clubrooms. Second, occasional fogs, unfavorable
wind conditions, space constraints and busy shipping
lanes could work against a San Francisco Bay defense.
It has been rumored in Auckland that Oracle may consider
a defense off Hawaii where wind conditions are more
varied and where a regatta would have no space problems.
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Next
America's Cup in Singapore ? (09/25/02)
(Source
:
The
straits times) |
If Swiss challenger Alinghi snatches next year's
coveted America's Cup from defending champion Team
New Zealand, Singapore may well benefit from the upset
by becoming its base.
Because landlocked Switzerland has no sea or 'water-body'
- an America's Cup winner must stage its defence on
home waters - Singapore has offered itself as the
'perfect' port-base for Alinghi.
SingaporeSailing president Low Teo Ping hopes to pull
it off after making the offer to Alinghi's main man,
Russell Coutts, who was New Zealand's winning skipper.
Following suggestions from the visiting Team New Zealand
that Singapore could compete in the America's Cup
by jump-starting with a marina for super-yachts, Low
said: "I've made a serious offer to Alinghi's
owners, through Coutts, for Singapore to be its base.
Coutts is a friend of mine, and he has told me it's
a great idea. But it all depends, perhaps, on luck
too. It is not easy to beat Team New Zealand on 'home
ground'. So if Alinghi wins the Cup, the owners may
seriously consider Singapore as its base". |
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Wich
Place for a Swiss Defence (II) ? (09/02/01)
(source
: NY
Times)
|
At a press interview, Alinghi head
Ernesto Bertarelli expressed confidence that the 2003
swiss campaign was in top form and, should he win,
that he will keep an open mind about where to defend
the Cup.
"I would consider the United States or even Cowes,"
Bertarelli said. "But the Mediterranean is where I
learned to sail and that's where my heart is. So probably
there." |
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Wich
Place for a Swiss Defence ? (08/24/01)
(source
: letemps.ch)
|
Interviewed in Cowes by Isabelle
Musy, Ernesto Bertarelli delivers very interesting
information.
Besides that we learn that he will be the Alinghi
navigator, the young billionaire closes the question
of a defence on the Lake Geneva.
" I would like that the Cup takes place on the Lake
Geneva. Contrary that people think, it is not the
size of the lake or the quantity of wind that could
put problem, but the land cost. Furthermore, there
is no available place around the lake to build a marina
and to welcome the bases of the teams. It would be
so in Europe, but I ignore where ". |
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