Peter Gilmour will be sailing with Alinghi periodically over the next few months to sharpen Alinghi’s match racing edge in the lead up to the America’s Cup Match.

Brad Butterworth, team skipper, has raced against him on the match racing circuit for years.

" We look forward to having Peter Gilmour on board as a consultant to provide us with a fresh, objective analysis of our performance," he said, adding: "when you race in-house as regularly as we do, it is vital to measure yourself against outside competitors and as there is just a fleet race left before the Match, we won’t have this opportunity. Therefore we are seeking an objective point of view and bringing in an outsider of Peter’s calibre will hopefully bring some new ideas and a critical analysis of our match race skills."

Helmsmen Ed Baird and Peter Holmberg are both familiar competitors of Gilmour and value his match racing expertise.

"It will be great to have Gilly with us to help train", Baird commented. "I've had some great matches against him over the last 15 years, and I know he'll spice up our preparation for the Cup."

"This is another step in our preparation to the Cup", added Peter Holmberg. "We hope that having Peter on board will bring some fresh ideas to our match race game."

Alinghi is launching the UBS Dubai Defender Trials from the 31Jan-3 February with Round 1, followed by Round 2 from 16-19 February at the end of which the helmsman and afterguard for Louis Vuitton Act 13 will be announced.