GC32 World Champions

1 July, 2019

A performance from the whole team from the first to the last delivers GC32 World title.

After four intense days in the waters of Lagos (Portugal) to decide between ten world-class teams from seven countries, Alinghi is crowned GC32 World Champion by recording 12 podium-place finishes (including eight wins) in eighteen races.
For the second year in a row, Switzerland wins. "Who would have thought that one would have to be Swiss in order to be GC32 World Champion”, joked the team’s helmsman, Arnaud Psarofaghis, at the prize-giving ceremony.
Team Tilt, the former World Champion, finished in second place, ahead of INEOS Rebels UK, the team of Ben Ainslie, four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi’s skipper who had to remain in Switzerland during the competition, said:
"I'm proud of my team. Arnaud, Nico, Bryan, Tim and Yves sailed brilliantly. This title is the result of a lot of work upstream, both on the water and on land. I would also like to congratulate the technical team, David and João, and the coaches, Nils and Pierre-Yves, whose work contributes so much to great results such as this one."

Arnaud Psarofaghis, helmsman and co-skipper:
"I'm very happy. The guys on board and the technical team have done a great job. We even managed to secure the win with two races to go and that’s a great result given the calibre of the fleet. And with Tilt in second place, it shows that sailing in Switzerland is doing well."

Yves Detrey, bowman:
"It's a long-term job that pays off. We are not World Champion because of these four days. It’s happened because of months and years of hard work."

Nils Frei, coach:
"You couldn’t really say that the team is missing titles from its list of achievements. A two-time winner of the America's Cup, seven victories in the Bol d'Or and the D35 Trophy, and four-time Extreme Sailing Series winner; the team is constantly evolving, renewing itself and seeking to improve.
“But a World Champion title is really nice. The opportunity to win a world class championship does not come around every day. Indeed, you’d need to go back to 2001 to see the team’s last world crown, which was in the Farr 40."

It is therefore with joy that the team records this new victory, which is the fruit of many years of work on the GC32: working to learn its behaviours, to tame it, to repair it and to optimise it. The work done at team-level has also been huge and fundamental: the team’s composition, training, adaptability, not least in the face of injury-enforced absences, its member’s knowledge of one another and their ability to come together as one.

Pierre-Yves Jorand, Team Director:

"The knowledge of the boat and teamwork allowed us to compete in a variety of conditions this week in Lagos. We started the racing with several reaching starts in strong winds, then, in the middle of the championship, we sailed in light conditions with upwind starts style. Each time the guys were able to find the keys to make good starts, go to the right side of the course and especially to run the GC32 fast, very fasty, while manoeuvring wonderfully. Congratulations to all, as well as to the organising committee who delivered a very good event both on the water and on shore."

One special mention for Bryan Mettraux, the sailor who retains his title of World Champion given that he was aboard Team Tilt last year, during the first world championship of the series in Riva del Garda.

Congratulations also to the American team Argo, led by Jason Carroll, who wins the world title of owner-driver.

The whole team would like to thank its supporters and partners for their daily support. After the dismantling of the boat, the team will enjoy a few days of rest before regrouping in Palma de Mallorca at the end of July for the 3rd stage of the GC32 Racing Tour.

Click here for the general ranking after 18 races.

To find out more
gc32racingtour.com

#gc32worlds
#gc32racingtour
#GoAlinghiGo

To find out more about how to follow the racing, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here.