A double for Alinghi, who won the last event on the circuit and defended their title of Champion of the GC32 Racing Tour, earned for the very first time in 2019 (a fallow year in 2020). From November 4 to 7, the Mar Menor (Spain) welcomed the fleet of 32-foot foilers for their last meeting of the year. Ten races were validated under various conditions. The standings were tight until the 7th, after which Alinghi took off. The Swiss team, Black Star, and the Austrians from Red Bull completed the podium of the event. In the annual general classification, Red Bull takes 2nd place, with Black Star 3rd. Zoulou, led by Erik Maris, was 4th and wins the "owner driver" classification. Ernesto Bertarelli: "Well done the team! I am delighted with this new championship victory. This confirms the title won in 2019 and shows our level and commitment. "Congratulations to all the other teams who gave us more and more problems. I also pay special attention to Erik Maris, the only owner driver to have entered all races this year and who has even won a few! "Our sporting season is coming to an end. 2021 also marked the official launch of the TF35 Trophy, run over seven events on Lake Geneva and at sea, and I am already looking forward to the 2022 season." Arnaud Psarofaghis: "Our goal was to win the GC32 season, as well as every event. We finished second in one of the regattas, tied on points with the first, Red Bull, last September, so overall we can be satisfied. "We have been consistent at the top of the table, patient when needed and the team knows how to come out on top at key moments. We also have the advantage of a close-knit team, which has worked together for a long time and is competent in all areas. "Here at Mar Menor, I loved the third windy day. We didn't start off very well, but by winning the last two heats we took the advantage at a decisive moment. This is the result of hard work over the course of several years." Nils Frei: "The team raced very well technically and tactically. After savouring this new victory, we will work again to find improvements. When you win, it's important not to rest on your laurels. "After we dominated the first regatta in Lagos, the other teams kept maturing and at the end of the season each team could win heats under their preferred conditions. One of our strengths is versatility and we look forward to focusing on continuing to improve." By the time the championships resume in 2022, and with hope that other teams join those already competing, the team will train in GC32 and fine-tune the optimisation of the TF35...without forgetting to hit a few ski slopes ;-) General classification after 10 races - GC32 Mar Menor Cup (4th and last round of the annual championship) 1st - Alinghi: 20 points 2nd - Black Star Sailing Team: 27 points 3rd - Red Bull Sailing Team: 28 points 4th - Zoulou: 38 points 5th - Team Rockwool Racing: 42 points 6th - Argo: 55 points   Extract from the 2021 GC32 Racing Tour overall results after four regattas 1st - Alinghi: 5 points 2nd - Red Bull Sailing Team: 10 points 3rd - Black Star Sailing Team: 12 points 4th and 1st owner driver - Zoulou: 18 points ... Click here for the full results.   Options to review the racing modeled in 2D thanks to the gps tracker placed on each boat from the first to the fourth days of competition: Tractrac website, or via these free apps (click here for an Iphone, or here for an Android). To find out more gc32racingtour.com To learn more about the race monitoring system, the team composition and the GC32 Racing Tour in general, a summary of the event is here. #GoAlinghiGo  //  GC32racingtour Credit for photos © Sailing Energy / GC32 Racing Tour 2021

Back in Lagos, the same six teams, the same Portuguese wind-blue sky combo and, in the end, Alinghi wins. The same script for the Lagos Cup #2 as it was for #1? Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: " Yes and no! The podium is different, we had a lot more wind during this second round, fewer races were able to be launched, and the victory was played out up to the last margins. "The level of the fleet has risen rapidly since we raced last month. We expected it and it was confirmed. Between that and today's more irregular wind in terms of strength and direction, we had to adapt our way of racing. I was more conservative on the tactical choices to take fewer risks. It pays less overall, but at the end of the day, it's the end result that matters to us above all." Preference for a victory with a leg to spare (Lagos #1) or one that goes to the wire (Lagos #2)? Nicolas: "I like to win before the end because it means that we sailed very well and widened the gap enough not to make the last race(s). On the other hand, when we fight to the end, it's because the level of the fleet goes up, and that's exactly what we're looking for: racing against the best opponents to improve our level." Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-skipper: "The gaps were tighter in this event because we didn't race as well as last month. We only won three out of 13 races and we made mistakes. Black Star sailed very well today, but, as with any competition, you have to be as consistent as possible to be at the top of the table. "I prefer to win an event when we race to the end. It's less comfortable on board, but it helps us progress in other areas of the sport." Flashback to the last race There was a change of pace for the fourth and last day of this event: the wind became more irregular in strength and direction, playing the spoilsport, but spicing up the racing, meaning Black Star could still win the event in the final race. Between the two boats a "very close marking" begins immediately, leaving room for Alinghi's opponents to express themselves at their best in the water. The Swiss rookies of Swiss Foiling Academy also sign their very first victory on the circuit. Hopp Schwiiz! As for our two direct rivals in the overall standings, given that no other competitor interfered with the placings in this thirteenth regatta, Alinghi, who had started the last race with a three-point advantage, took the overall victory. Black Star takes second place overall, providing Switzerland with the double on its national holiday. Zoulou, led by the owner driver Erik Maris, finished third, beating Red Bull and Rockwool at the post by recording a good last day. In August, the team will train on the TF35 on Lake Geneva, after which the boat will be dismantled and installed in its container to travel to Scarlino (Italy) for the very first sea regatta of the TF35 Trophy (from 9 to 12 September). General classification after 13 legs – GC32 Lagos Cup #2 1st - Alinghi: 30 points 2nd - Black Star Sailing Team: 32 points 3rd - Zoulou: 46 points 4th - Red Bull Sailing Team: 46 points 5th - Team Rockwool racing: 48 points 6th - Swiss Foiling Academy: 71 points Extract from the provisional general classification of the GC32 Racing Tour after two events 1st - Alinghi: 2 points 2nd - Black Star Sailing Team: 6 points 3rd - Red Bull Sailing Team: 6 points Click here for the full results. Options to review the racing modeled in 2D thanks to the gps tracker placed on each boat from the first to the fourth days of competition: Tractrac website, or via these free apps (click here for an Iphone, or here for an Android). To find out more gc32racingtour.com To learn more about the race monitoring system, the team composition and the GC32 Racing Tour in general, a summary of the event is here. #GoAlinghiGo  //  GC32racingtour Credit for photos © Sailing Energy / GC32 Lagos Cup 2-2021

Wind, foilers and competition during the 18 races launched in the four days of this first event of the GC32 Racing Tour. For all those who returned to the marina in Lagos (South Portugal), it made for a beautiful sailing event. Alinghi was not to be outdone and set the bar high at the season's start, winning 11 of the 17 races run and thereby allowing themselves to return to port before the 18th. In fact, the overall win was even sealed four races before the final run! The objectives of the GC32 season are clear: to defend the 2019 World Champion title and also the annual ranking. The tone is set! Red Bull Sailing Team and Team Rockwool Racing completed the podium. Yves Detrey: "We had thought that we might have been a little rusty after an 18-month break from the GC32, but we are happy to see that it is not the case! The conditions were mostly tough this week, but that's how we like it. With our manoeuvres, our speed or our tactics, we were able to find the keys to get back into the game when it was necessary. Frankly, we sailed really well in all areas. "To win a four-day regatta, the key is to be consistent at the front and to avoid bad heats, and that's what we did." Within the fleet of six boats, one team is remodelled (Black Star) and two are new to the circuit (Rockwool and Swiss Foiling Academy). What is the level like? "Each has had their ups and downs, but with training and with the experience gained race after race, their level will go up. I imagine they will watch videos of this event, in addition to the experience accumulated over these 18 rounds. Then you must work, practise your lines and avoid repeating previous mistakes." Nicolas Charbonnier: "By attacking this last day with a good lead, we expected not to have to run all the races to win the event. While chatting during our daily briefing, we thought there was always an opportunity to try some different things. We sailed without pressure and even achieved our best speed of the week, 37,73 knots." How do you stay efficient from one year to the next? "We are fortunate to sail together very often and to have had a stable crew for several years. We have friends among us and the atmosphere is great. Individually everyone is good and collectively our team works. The preparation of the boat is methodical, we have been sailing in GC32 since 2015 now and we also practice foiling with the TF35. The helm and the trimmers make the boat go fast, the tactician takes us to the right place around the race course, the coordination of the crew is precise during the starting phases and in the manoeuvres. The combination of all these factors is ideal, and we push ourselves to innovate to continue to progress." Arnaud Psarofaghis: "Don't just look at the final score, which might make it look like it was easy for us. We fought in each of the races and on each leg to get there. It was sometimes thanks to a manoeuvre, a layline, a few metres gap to mark rounding. Our opponents generally have fewer hours on the clock than us, but each gave us a hard time at different moments. This is exactly what we are looking for on the GC32 Racing Tour, to push us to always be better. We missed this circuit last year and it really complements the TF35 Trophy. "At the end of this first event, we are happy with the work accomplished to regain our 2019 level. We think we have reached it, and even exceeded in certain phases. In any case the GC32 is really a great boat for racing – more teams should join us!" An exceptional sanitary context, an exceptional programme this year. The team will be back in Lagos at the end of this month for the second leg of the GC32 Racing Tour (July, 29 to August 1st). The 2021 championship will consist of four events, including the GC32 World Championship from 16th to 19th September in Villasimius (Italy). Extracts from the general classification after 18 races - GC32 Lagos Cup N ° 1: 1st – Alinghi: 33 points 2nd – Red Bull Sailing Team: 58 points 3rd – Team Rockwool Racing: 61 points 4th – Black Star Sailing Team: 62 points Click here for the full rankings, including all boats. Options to review the racing modeled in 2D thanks to the gps tracker placed on each boat from the first to the fourth days of competition: Tractrac website, or via these free apps (click here for an Iphone, or here for an Android). To find out more gc32racingtour.com To learn more about the race monitoring system, the team composition and the GC32 Racing Tour in general, a summary of the event is here. #GoAlinghiGo  //  GC32racingtour Credit for photos © Sailing Energy / GC32 Lagos Cup 1-2021

After a GC32 World Champion title at the end of June in Lagos and an 8th D35 Trophy in 16 seasons at the end of September on Lake Geneva, Alinghi finished its sporting season in style by securing the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour in the Gulf of Oman with a win in the final event. From the 6th to the 9th of November, the city of Muscat, located on the Arabian Peninsula, hosted the fifth and final round of the GC32 Racing Tour 2019. The six teams in contention raced in varied conditions, with light air at first changing to stronger breezes and waves, helping to diversify the competition. At the start of this final stage of the Tour, the two rivals, Oman Air and Alinghi, had one and the same goal: to finish in front of the other, whatever their place in the fleet because no other competitor could join them at the top of the ranking. At the end of the 17 races that were completed over four days (including nine won by the team), Alinghi won the event and added a first "GC32 Racing Tour" title to its record, in the wake of the Championship Extreme Sailing Series won in 2018 , also on the GC32. Zoulou and Red Bull Sailing Team completed the podium of this fifth and final round of the season. Overall, Oman Air finished second, followed by Red Bull. Zoulou finished fourth and first in the owner-driver classification. Ernesto Bertarelli, skipper of the D35 and GC32: "I warmly congratulate the team for the work they have done throughout this season, especially at key moments, of which there have been many in recent days. I also congratulate Zoulou, Erik Maris's team, who recorded a nice second place in Oman. "The GC32 Racing Tour is the world's most demanding one-design multihull racing circuit, resulting in intense racing. Every micro-detail counts towards achieving victory and that's what our team is doing every day. "We have won the GC32 Racing Tour 2019, we are the reigning world champions of the discipline and we won our 8th D35 Trophy in 16 seasons on the lake. We've achieved the treble this year and to fulfil our goals...it's fantastic." Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-skipper of the GC32: "To see the final score, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this victory was easy, but everything was still up for grabs this morning. Even being 10 points ahead, you never know what could happen in a regatta, the proof this morning being the contact between Oman Air and Zoulou, with the latter returning to port to be out of the water quickly before their boat took on water. We had to stay attentive and race every moment as if the scoring was tight. "For me, it's the team that makes us win throughout the year. Everybody on the team is important, like David who managed to fix our boat two days ago during the night." Nils Frei, coach: "We have a great team spirit in our group and we have been able to stay focused on key moments. The team is strong technically and mentally, it's essential to go for wins and keep winning." Pierre-Yves Jorand, Team Director: "When the conditions are difficult and the pressure rises, the guys deliver their best game. During the World's at the end of June, or here in Oman, they had no room for error and they sailed superbly. Congratulations to the sailors, the technical team and thank you to all those who support us every day; friends, families, partners, the team that remains at the office and of course a big thank you to Ernesto who makes all this possible. I am already looking forward to the challenges ahead in 2020!" While hoping to go on and achieve even more on the GC32 Racing Tour 2020, to perfect our technique in foiling, the team will be busy these next months preparing for the arrival of its brand new foiler, the TF35, before the launch of the class in the spring of 2020 on Lake Geneva. Click here for all the 2019 rankings. To find out more gc32racingtour.com #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. Photo credits ©Sailing Energy/GC32 Racing Tour  &  ©Lloyd Images

From the very first race in this fourth event of the GC32 Racing Tour in Riva del Garda (Italy), Alinghi showcased its intent by taking-up position at the head of the fleet. There then ensued a tense and close battle over the course of the four days of racing. Oman Air managed to square things up in the 17th race and by the end of the 18th they led the Swiss by two points. With only one race left to run, Alinghi needed to finish in front of its rival by two places. The team sailed nicely, winning the leg. In its wake, Red Bull Sailing Team crossed the line just in front of Oman Air. Mission accomplished! (And the video is on Alinghi’s Facebook page J) Arnaud Psarofaghis, helmsman: "In the five races today it was very tight with Oman, but we did not sail well at first. We made tactical and strategic mistakes, trying to attack at the wrong moment. They were stronger than us in four races, but we only needed to win one. “From Thursday we’ve had great conditions, typical to Lake Garda, but also races where it was less so. This opened-up the sailing tactically and created opportunities to lose position or to get back into contact with the leaders. “We did not always made it in front at the first marks. On the other hand we managed to overtake the fleet and control our opponents, without which we would not have won the event. “Oman Air gave us a hard time. It’s a good thing that they did so and our two teams have been progressing together. The rest of the fleet is also sailing really well, but maybe is a small step behind in terms of consistency. “For the season’s class victory, we already know that it’ll be between Oman Air and us, because neither Red Bull nor Zoulou can catch us. It will be whichever of the two teams finishes ahead of the other, regardless of the result within the fleet. Will we prepare differently given these special circumstances? "We will need to be steady and to sail well so as to be ahead of the fleet and therefore minimise errors or trouble. We sail in a fleet and we of course have to deal with traffic. And to try and put pressure on a rival to make a mistake themselves, one has to sail really well. It’ll be an interesting match-up.” João Cabeçadas, shore team and rigger: "In my role, in collaboration with David, we must do everything possible to provide a reliable boat, able to win legs, and we must anticipate possible losses. Since June, we have done well across our two circuits in back-to-back events without incurring damage [João touches wood at the same time as he speaks...]. But the season is not over and by the time of next event in Oman, I'll have been over the boat with a fine-toothed comb to ensure we deliver the best tool. “After that, it’s up to the sailors to race. When it's tight like today, the time on board the following boat can seem long because once the start is underway there’s nothing we can do for the GC32. But, from the outside, we observe and we also study our competitors, because if we want to continue to win, we must seek areas for improvement and sometimes draw inspiration from our opponents. I think they managed to make progress in areas where they were maybe behind than us before. It's up to us to work on our weak points as well."   Only one point separates Alinghi and Oman Air in the season’s overall standings and the last event promises to separate the two. Oman, from the November the 6th to the 9th, will decide who finishes in front of the other. In the meantime, the team will be back, this Friday September 20th, at the Société Nautique de Genève for the last event of the 2019 D35 Trophy. Click here for the 3rd event general ranking after 19 races. To find out more gc32racingtour.com #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. Photo credits ©Sailing Energy/GC32 Racing Tour

As previously announced, Alinghi took to the start line in Villasimius (South Sardegna) in a new GC32 circuit this year. Exit the Extreme Sailing Series, welcome to the GC32 Racing Tour. Looking from a distance, it'd be easy to be mistaken that not that much has changed, from the boats to the sailor faces at the dock, and it is still a matter of racing around marks. But, dig a little further, and the differences between this year and last become clear...the races are longer (lasting more), there are more boats involved and the composition of the teams has changed too. A rule change, too – the last race does not count for double points any more. Also do not discount the fact that it's also never rained so much before in two days in the previous Championship, not even in Cardiff! In short, all these little details added a degree of change, which, taken together, had to be factored in planning debriefing and onboard sessions in order to win. Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "With longer courses, we had more time to play with the wind shifts and pressures. There were fewer manoeuvres and you have to take care of the speed of the boat. We all think we could have done a little better, avoiding some of our mistakes. That said, our rivals will be saying the same and we all know that we have to limit these things in order to win." Arnaud Psarofaghis, Co-Helmsman: "The ranking feels logical given that we were competing chiefly with Oman and Ineos all week. We know how to win stages and have the means to do so by continuing to make good starts and going fast." Pierre-Yves Jorand, Team Director: "To compensate for the absence of Tim, who was injured, the team had to adapt. We are of course aware of the importance of the specificities of each position, as well as the fact that we wouldn't have enough training time in our new set-up. We also had to deal with some small technical problems, the impact of which will take some time for us to analyse properly so that we don't repeat the mistakes. Some of those are probably related to the longer racing format on the GC32 Racing Tour... "Oman sailed very well. Congratulations to them. They were consistent and found solutions to come back and pass boats when they were at the rear. A bit like us, but a little step above." Today the GC32 will take its place in its container to travel to Lagos, Portugal, for the World Championship of the series, held from the 27th to the 30th of June, with the event also counting as the second leg of the annual circuit. In the meantime, the team will be back on Saturday, June the 8th, on Lake Léman for the Genève-Rolle-Genève aboard the D35. Click here for the GC32 Villasimius Cup general ranking after 16 races. To find out more gc32racingtour.com #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. Photo credits ©Sailing Energy/GC32 Racing Tour