Alinghi continued her preparations with a private trial against beaten challenger Desafío Español on Tuesday.

The Spaniards, knocked out of the Louis Vuitton Cup by New Zealand 5-2 in the semi-finals, have stated they are willing to help the Swiss fine tune their bid to retain the Cup.

Aside from his willingness to be genial hosts to Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi Agustin Zulueta, Espanol's boss, has two sound motives to lend a helping hand.

First it will help Espanol's Polish skipper Karol Jablonski and his men in their own preparations for the next America's Cup for which they have already confirmed their intention to compete.

And secondly a win for Alinghi in the 32nd Cup will ensure the next edition stays in Europe, and more importantly, in Valencia.

Last week, in an event that raised a few eyebrows around Port America's Cup, New Zealand conducted a series of private trials with Alinghi in a dress rehearsal for the real thingl.

"This type of racing is always very useful for us", explained Alinghi strategist Jordi Calafet. "The idea is to sail against a different style, especially in a pre-start situation which is something you don't get in-house".

"However, you can never really evaluate your rival because you never know if they are sailing with new or old material, good sails or at their full potential."