San Diego

2nd in San Diego but a good outcome overall

22 October, 2018

Leading Act 6 from the first day until the 18th race, Alinghi was ultimately unable to fend off the repeated assaults of Oman who took the lead in the 19th run. The Swiss won the 21st and final race of the competition, but the Omanis maintained a slender one-point lead to take the result, with SAP claiming 3rd place (Oman Air 233 points - Alinghi 232 points - SAP 226 points). Alinghi of course was aiming for success in San Diego, but the disappointment of finishing second is offset once the implications for the Series’ overall standings are taken into account, with the Swiss firmly in the lead with one Act remaining. Timothé Lapauw, foil adjuster: “We finish 2nd, but there are many positive points that we take, not least the good speed we achieved regularly. Racing was also not easy in San Diego with a variable and light wind." Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "We take heart in light of the implications for the final result of the championship, but of course we would have liked to win here in San Diego because it was a result within our reach. However, we didn’t always sail to the best of our abilities.” Arnaud Psarofaghis, helmsman: "Oman Air deserves this win in San Diego because we did not sail well enough on the last day. Overall we wanted to beat SAP and that's the case. It even allows us to finish behind them in Los Cabos to win the championship, since you do not have to win every Act to win the trophy. The guys have done a good job on-board and we can very much still be satisfied with our second place." Yves Detrey, bowman: “Second place leaves a slightly bitter taste because we lost on the last day because of avoidable mistakes, which should not happen at our level. But there is still one regatta to go before the end of the season and we will work hard until the end." Pierre-Yves Jorand, team director: “It was a tough day. We started really well and finished really well. In between, we had four difficult races and made mistakes probably due to a lack of coordination and communication. We will discuss that with the team. But the good thing is that we did the job finishing ahead of SAP who is our direct opponent for the championship.”  The final Act of the Extreme Sailing Series 2018 will be held in Los Cabos (Mexico) from November 29 to December 2. Click here for the full results of Act 6 after its 21 races Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo  //  #Extremesailing   To find out more extremesailingseries.com If you want to know more about the race tracking system, the team and the racing in general, you can find a recap here. Credit for photos: Lloyd Images

San Diego:Beautiful but challenging water

22 October, 2017

Today was not one that could have been described as an opportunity missed, since of the seven races launched, Alinghi scored almost the same number of points as its rivals Oman Air and Red Bull. However, that does not take into account the performance of SAP Extreme Sailing Team, who shone today, just as Alinghi did on the opening day of the regatta. The good news is that Alinghi knows it can perform on a similar level. The less good news is that the Danes have sailed so well that they’ve opened up a lead of 14 points. On Alinghi’s side, it has 17 on Oman Air, in third. Those point gaps would suggest that the team is comfortably installed in second place, but the team has promised to try everything tomorrow to climb into first place. Moreover, it seems that a little less wind is forecast…a little like the conditions on the first day in San Diego, which seemed to suit Alinghi. Yves Detrey, bowman said: “Windy and sunny, San Diego Bay is truly a beautiful place to race. For us, it was a bit complicated today. We did not really manage to lay the foundations of our strategy and we lost a few points in the battle. The task – to challenge SAP for first place – looks hard tomorrow, but we will fight to the end.” Click here to see Yves's interview in its entirety and to find out what an "OCS" is. The action will resume tomorrow at 2pm local time (UTC-7 = 9 hours behind Swiss time), which you can follow live or on demand by clicking here. Find the overall standings in San Diego here. Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo  //  #Extremesailing To find out more www.extremesailingseries.com Photos credit ©Lloyd Images If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi's team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need here.

A day of sport on foils

21 October, 2017

At the end of a session like today's, sailors return to the dock somewhat tired after six intense races. But what a pleasure to see these boats performing at full speed once up on their foils. To sail in such conditions, you have to be precise and coordinated. Every mistake, no matter how small, is immediately punished. Tim Lapauw, trimmer and foil regulator said: "It was a good day for us. SAP is close behind us but we are still ahead, that's what counts in the end. After they, we signed for the second best performance of the day. The wind was blowing between 11 and 16 knots, often irregular in direction, which gave a hard time to Nicolas, our tactician. We are just a little disappointed with our last race of the day because before this one, we were five points ahead of second place. But a bad maneuver made us lose some points." Click here to watch Tim’s interview in its entirety. Halfway through the event, Alinghi is ahead of the Danes of SAP Extreme Sailing Team (our direct competitors for the championship win). The English of Land Rover BAR Academy made a strong impression yesterday, but seemed less comfortable in the later conditions and lie 4th tonight. Oman Air took the opportunity to grab the provisional 3rd place. The action will resume tomorrow at 2pm local time (UTC-7 = 9 hours behind Swiss time), which you can follow live or on demand by clicking here. Find the overall standings in San Diego here. Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo  //  #Extremesailing To find out more www.extremesailingseries.com Photos credit ©Lloyd Images If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi's team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need here.  

Promising beginnings

20 October, 2017

What better way to start a regatta than by leading the fleet after six races and the first day of competition? Yesterday afternoon in the San Diego bay, Alinghi were consistently among the leaders, despite the challenges posed by the unique current, wind variations and even algae. From the outside, the red-white-black GC32 catamaran looked fast, at ease and quicker to get on its foils than its opponents. On the inside, Nils Frei, the team’s headsail trimmer, confirmed the impression: “It was a very positive day for us. We were pretty quick and as the races were long – longer than normal – it meant we could get back into the race even if we’d made an OCS (over the starting line early), as happened twice, and had to let all the other teams pass us. The other teams sailed really well too, like the Land Rover BAR Academy guys, with whom we were tied after five races. Throughout the day, but especially on the last run where the wind dropped at the end, we knew we had to be patient in every moment. That’s probably where we made a difference.” Click here to watch Nils’s interview in its entirety. Nothing is settled, as there are still three more days of racing to go and only a few points separating the leaders, with all of the teams very solid and very eager to win, and very ready to fight right up until the last. But, after all, what Alinghi achieved on the first day is firmly in the locker. The action will resume tomorrow at 2pm local time (UTC-7 = 9 hours behind Swiss time), which you can follow live or on demand by clicking here. Find the overall standings in San Diego here. Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo  //  #Extremesailing To find out more www.extremesailingseries.com Photos credit ©Lloyd Images If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi's team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need here.

On Your Marks; Set; Go for Act 7

19 October, 2017

It is in San Diego, along Harbor Island Drive, that the Extreme Sailing Series caravan has rolled into this week to take up its quarters for Act 7 of the season. From Thursday 19th October until the 22nd, eight international teams will compete under the Californian sun for the spoils in a breeze that, typically, starts off light and then has a tendency to strengthen in the afternoon, hopefully allowing the GC32s to race onto their foils, which will be a spectacle for the fans and a lot of fun for the sailors. Alinghi is now in third place overall behind SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Oman Air. Alinghi's goal is clear: To win the penultimate stage of the circuit, thereby maximising its chances of winning the Championship in the last event, which will be held in early December in Los Cabos, Mexico. To follow the races, which will be held every day from 2-5pm local time (UTC-7, 9 hours less than in Switzerland), there are several options: Live > via our website (races modeled in 3D on Thursday & Friday, then broadcast live on Saturday and Sunday) > On Twitter @alinghiteam (results published after each race with a few photos and short video clips)   Watch on demand > On Facebook and Instagram for video interviews and photos > On our website for the daily recap and the replay of the races Live scoring as the races progress will be available here.   Hashtags for the event #GoAlinghiGo  //  #Extremesailing   To find out more www.extremesailingseries.com Photos credit ©Alinghi If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi's team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need here. Video bonus! Have you ever gone up to the top of a GC32? To see the interview of João at 17m altitude, it is here!