Six races overall, four for each team (with the fleet sailing in two groups in the afternoon), about twenty laps around the course's buoys, and as many turns and gybes by each boat, and all in a wind that varied from eight to 22 knots and under the beautiful Australian sun. Such were the ingredients for Day 2 of the final Act of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series™ in Sydney. Pierre-Yves Jorand explains the decision to split the fleet in two: "One of the peculiarities and attractions of this Series is that the spectators can get close to the boats as they race, much the same as you would from the stands in Formula 1. Given the strong and unstable wind we had today, shifting in force and direction, the Race Director had no choice but to split the fleet to launch the early races in a confined area close to the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron." Sailing in this configuration, Alinghi won both of the runs, having made good starts, maintained good speed and made good manoeuvres. Nils Frei takes up the story of the rest of the day: "A change in the direction of the wind meant that the course could be reconfigured and the whole fleet could race as one. With eight boats on this narrow course you can quickly find yourself in traffic if you don't take a risk at the start. Some teams certainly took this approach to try and find clear water. That can pay off, but it can also go the other way, for example going across the line too soon or executing the start poorly. Given where we stand, we went for conservative starts, which is why we recorded 4th and 5th place finishes. We can be happy with our day, because with this kind of race format anything can happen." In terms of the battle for the Series podium, all three contenders scored a similar amount of points on Day 2. Although Alinghi relinquish one point to Oman Air, the Swiss team still lead the standings at the halfway point of this grand final of the 2016 season.   After seven races for each team (two per team were in the split fleet format, meaning Sydney Harbour has seen nine races overall) the general standings read: 1st – Alinghi (SUI): 2nd,1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 5th – 67 points 2nd – Oman Air (OMA): 3rd, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd – 65 points 3rd – Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT): 1st, 6th, 4rd, 4rd, 1st, 3rd, 4th: 62 points Find all of the results in detail at http://www.extremesailingseries.com/results/2016-Sydney   Follow the action With up to eight races on each of the four days, there will be plenty of sport to enjoy, though do watch out for the time difference: UTC + 11, i.e. + 10 hours compared to Swiss time. Online, via the Alinghi homepage (www.alinghi.com) - Races modeled in 3D from December 8 to 11 - 90 minutes of live pictures on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th afternoon (from 3.30pm to 5pm local time) - Replay available at the end of the races On Twitter @alinghiteam: - Updates after each race On Facebook @teamalinghi: - Pictures and video interviews throughout the regatta - Live broadcast of the awards ceremony - Sunday 11 December from 17.45 local time (= 7.45 in Switzerland)

Setubal, in Portugal, is a European City of Sport for 2016 and Alinghi’s rigger, Joao Cabecadas, who hails from the town, was honoured to have been named its Ambassador for Sailing. During a recent trip to his hometown, Joao had the opportunity to address a primary school and a secondary school, as well as participate in a discussion with 200 students at the sports school in the Forum Luisa. Having been a key part of Alinghi’s America’s Cup campaigns and a central figure in the team’s exploits today, Joao had much to say about sailing and about his other ocean-based passions, such as kite surfing and windsurfing. Having answered questions about the Cup campaigns, the Extreme Sailing Series and more, Joao and his friend, Joao Rodriques (seven-time Olympic windsurfer),  then took to the water to show off their skills. Every little bit helps in inspiring the next generation!

The Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour Alinghi, created by Ernesto Bertarelli, won the America’s Cup in 2003 in Auckland under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève. In doing so, it set a double precedent in the history of the world’s oldest sports’ trophy: A first victory at a first attempt; and the first “European” team to bring the "Auld Mug" back to the continent since the first competition in 1851. On behalf of the Société Nautique de Genève, Alinghi then organised the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia, fondly remembered as the best ever and at which Alinghi successfully defended its title in an epic battle on the water against Emirates Team New Zealand. However, despite Alinghi’s many successes in mono hull racing (Multi One Design, Farr 40, 12mJI, Corel 45, ACC), Ernesto Bertarelli has also been more than present on the multihull stage since 1993. It should come as no surprise then, that, with the creation of a new “flying” one-design catamaran class, Alinghi jumps at the opportunity to join this “foiling adventure”. The GC32 is a 10m, one-design catamaran, able to ‘fly’ with eight knots of True Wind Speed. This carbon dragonfly has already convinced the top-class sailors from across the sport of its pace, power and ability to ratchet up the excitement levels. Ernesto Bertarelli comments: “I have been enormously privileged to sail with some of my crew for more than 20 years. During the course of our adventures, our passion for the sport and for cutting-edge technology has been undimmed. It is therefore only natural that we would be eager to be involved with this evolution of our sport. Sailing in three dimensions will of course be a new challenge for all of us, but it is an exciting one and the opportunity to learn and then master a new type of boat is one that we couldn’t miss. The GC32, as with the D35 and the X40, is a strict one-design class. That’s very important to me, because it means that the racing is not about the equipment we use, but about how the crew works together on the water. It is true competition.” The Alinghi 2015 GC32 crew will be: Ernesto Bertarelli (Helm), sharing the duties with Morgan Larson, who led Alinghi to the victory of the Extreme Sailing Series in 2014, Nicolas Charbonnier (Tactician), Pierre-Yves Jorand (Mainsail), Nils Frei (Trim) & Yves Detrey (Bow). The same crew will compete on the Decision 35 circuit, albeit with the addition of Coraline Jonet (Trim) who will bring her many talents to the team of six that sail the D35. New Partnerships Announced Just before the team takes off for this new competition, Alinghi is delighted to announce an Official Air Carrier partnership with SWISS airlines. After all, what better source of inspiration for the team that is learning how to fly on the water in all four corners of Europe? Lorenzo Stoll, Head of Western Switzerland for SWISS comments: “This partnership was an obvious one for us and we are delighted to team-up with Alinghi. So many parallels can be drawn between sailing – particularly foil sailing – and aviation. Dedication to giving our best performance, the precision we demand of ourselves and a competitive a passion to be the best are all values that unite Alinghi and SWISS”. While the team will be flying through the air, its brand new GC32 will hit the road in the expert hands of PLANZER, who Alinghi is thrilled to announce as Official Logistic Transport Supplier for 2015. Nils Planzer, CEO of PLANZER, said: “It is our great opportunity and honour for PLANZER to put our expertise at the disposal of such an emblematic team as Alinghi. Having already partnered with the team during the America’s Cup campaigns, it is with a very real sense of pride that we announce this new partnership that will see us work together across Europe this season”. The GC32s are pushing the boundaries in sailing and so it is with great pleasure that Alinghi can also announce a new sponsor in HYT Watches, a Swiss company that is breaking new ground with its innovative, stylish and beautiful creations. According to Patrick Berdoz, HYT’s Chairman, “First and foremost, this partnership is a fantastic union of two high-tech universes and two leading teams. Alinghi challenges the elements and flies over the water, while HYT challenges the traditional watch making industry and masters the measurement of time through the use of fluid. We are very proud to associate ourselves with the next chapter of Alighni’s journey and to be aligned with this epic team”. Alinghi can also count on another important partner in MarinePool, who have created an Alinghi 2015 collection, available soon. Robert Stark, CEO of MarinePool, commented: “Alinghi and Marinepool have been working together for a number of years. When we heard about this exciting new project we were eager to work with the team and to associate ourselves with one of the most prestigious brands in the history of sailing. We are all very excited for the coming season”. Last, but in no means least, Alinghi is extremely proud to be able to continue to count on the support of its loyal partner, the Manotel Hotel Group, preferred sanctuary of the Alinghi team when in Geneva – and this since 2001. As Paul Muller, General Manager of the Manotel Group, said: “On a boat, as with the hotel industry, teamwork is of the outmost importance. Alinghi, as well as Manotel, perfectly represents the perpetual quest for quality that makes our teams what they are – leaders in their respective fields. It is therefore a great pleasure for us that we can continue to welcome the Alinghi crew to our six Geneva hotels and to associate ourselves with the team in the city and on the waters around the world.”

It came down, as it so often has this season, to the final race. Tense, exciting and, above all, important, this was perhaps the most satisfying of wins for Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi. Conditions on the Med had varied over the course of the four days of racing, with light winds at the start proving testing for all of the teams. However, from a relatively slow start, Alinghi rallied in incredible fashion, stringing together performance after performance to put themselves in contention as the competition neared to a close. Heading into the final race – a double-pointer, of course – it was the team’s fellow countrymen, Realteam, who led the Act. To snatch victory, Alinghi had to finish a clear two places above their rivals. This they did, taking the spoils in front of the thousands of spectators. Given that this is the penultimate Act of the 2014 season, it was a vital win. With it, Alinghi have now extended their lead at the top of the Series leaderboard to eight points over The Wave, Muscat. However, with 20 points up for the taking in the final Act in Sydney, it is certainly not all over. Indeed, their are five teams capable of a podium position. A jubilant Morgan Larson, Alinghi’s helmsman, summed it up after the prize giving: “We were confident at the start of the year that we had a little bit of an edge, but now the rest of the field are showing some real force. I think now you are seeing the future. More than half the fleet have the ability to win an event, and that’s exactly what we’re going to see going into Sydney. That event is going to be worth double points, and if we go out with a bad performance and The Wave, Muscat or Emirates Team New Zealand come in with a strong one – we’re going to lose. So we’ve got to go out and try and get back on the podium.” The very fact that competition is fierce and that it is getting harder and harder to win races is certainly cause for caution when it comes to Sydney. But it also means that this performance in France is all the more important. And all the more impressive… Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7 Nice standings after Day 4, 29 races (5.10.14): Position / Team / Points Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Anna Tunnicliffe, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 183 points Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jérôme Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Barbarin, Bryan Mettraux, Thierry Wasem 171 points J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Campbell-James, Bleddyn Mon, Matt Cornwell 161 points Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Mark Bulkeley, Thomas Cjakgak, Stewart Dodson 160 points Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Peter Burling, Glenn Ashby, Blair Tuke, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat 156 points GAC Pindar (AUS) Nathan Wilmot, Seve Jarvin, Hugh Styles, Tyson Lamond, James Wierzbowski 146 points SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Christian Kamp, Brad Farrand 145 points 8th The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari 143 points 9th Groupama sailing team (FRA) Franck Cammas, Tanguy Cariou, Valentin Bellet, Arnaud Jarlegan, Devan Le Bihan 143 points Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Ted Hackney, Kyle Langford, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi 138 points Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Garth Ellingham, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov 133 points Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 overall standings: Position / Team / Points Alinghi (SUI) 65 points The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 57 points Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 49 points Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 45 points J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) 37 points Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 30 points SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 28 points Oman Air (OMA) 24 points Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 24 points Groupama sailing team (FRA) 22 points GAC Pindar (AUS) 11 points

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