Alinghi dancing on several hulls 27th July 2008, NZZ am Sonntag - Alinghi dancing on several hulls The next America's Cup will be played on catamarans or trimarans. French specialists to bring the Cup-winner, how to sail it.
By Walter Rüegsegger on the headland at the fishing port of Lorient Kéroman the witnesses of the past are powerful. Huge concrete bunkers remember the hard times of the Breton city, as the Allied Air Force tried the shelters in the largest submarine base in the German Navy to crack. Only a few steps away from this gray memorials is a brand new building with a 40-meter-high metal tower. This museum is housed, which is dedicated to the French naval hero Eric Tabarly. He was the one who use race as a moderate first yachts with multiple hulls and convinced of its potential speed was.
Forty is over, her now, and now is the actual center of Lorient catamarans and trimarans become. The man, who has won the multihull in the city, the local sailor Alain Gautier. Numerous victories he scored on two and three hulls. As Alinghi undertook in the spring to the French, was the Defender auch ein Stück Infrastruktur mieten: einen Hangar und zwei 60-Fuss-Trimarane. Der eine davon gehört Gautier, der auf dem High-Tech-Gerät (Baujahr 2001) den Alinghi-Seglern die hohe Kunst des Segelns auf drei Rümpfen beibringt.
Unterstützt wird der Coach und Berater von seinem französischen Landsmann Franck Proffit, auch er ein Ass aus der französischen Multihull-Szene. Die beiden stehen den zwei Alinghi-Besatzungen von je etwa zehn Mann zur Seite. Die Aufgabe ist enorm: In weniger als einem Jahr muss die Alinghi-Crew mit einem riesigen Mehrrumpf-Boot den Cup gegen Oracle verteidigen. Das Segeln auf zwei oder drei Kufen ist für die meisten Neuland. Im Gegensatz zu Einrümpfern sind Multis reine Hochgeschwindigkeitsboote. "You have to give gas - and therein lies the problem. After sailing on two or three hulls "delicate," says Alain Gautier. "There are boats, which tolerate no errors."
In recent days, the sailors benefited from the mild summer, which has only held in Brittany last week feeder. The sea between the port and the nearby island Groix was flat, the wind was weak. Unlike the end of March: At the 60-foot trimaran capsized in 20 knots of wind and high waves, several sailors suffered injuries. "One must always be, even in light winds on guard." According to Franck Proffit is on a cat or a tri cooperation between the helmsman and trimmers, the most difficult Part. If the taxes and trimming at the same time happens, the ideal maneuver succeeds. "This osmosis we have to achieve in the time remaining to the Cup," says the 45-year-old sailor.
Whether it between Alinghi and Oracle to a cat-or comes to a tri-duel, the big question. It is, at least for the Americans, are answered in the next few weeks. The Challenger has announced the splashdown of his monster for the next few weeks. Alinghi, however will not have his racing yacht built ready before the end of the year. It was in the plan, it was said in Lorient. The designers of the two opponents announce yachts, as they had never seen before. 28 meters long (water line), against the mast 60 meters high and the boat hardly 12 tons - predicts these data. French expert multihull scene of the tap rather than a trimaran catamaran.
Although time has fallen behind Alinghi, the Defender has an ace up its sleeve: The Swiss can select the location to take place where the best-of-three race. An advantage because Americans will not know until half a year before the first race, whether it is a light wind area or not. But Oracle can hold out the opponent with the ship's certificate. This important paper, the Challenger, which can determine in this case the type of ship, the Defender of them so that on the challenge is set.
To be prepared for the giants duel for two or three hulls, makes his sailors from Alinghi on several multi-hull types. Different teams take part in sailing regattas. It is the sole intention to gain experience in dealing with the unusual sports equipment. The Americans do it like that. The two syndicates exist in this area a great knowledge and experience advantage. No wonder then that not be ruled out in both camps over the next America's Cup again unsubscribe to multihulls.
race date is still open About a year ago in Valencia, Alinghi successfully defended the America's Cup. In Thrill of Victory created Ernesto Bertarelli and his advisers, a protocol for the next Cup, the Alinghi gave considerable advantages. Since the chosen Challenger of Record, a newly founded the first English sailing club, the Deed did not comply, Oracle sued successfully in court the right one, Alinghi challenge directly. The Americans opted for a challenge with the greatest yacht, a multi-hull boat of 90 × 90 feet. Before the appeal court in New York was a suit by Alinghi is still outstanding: The Defender does not want to sail on the court-specified date (March 12, 2009), but not earlier than the beginning of May, as the Deed of Gift Cup races during the winter months in the northern hemisphere is prohibited. Alinghi would win with a May date valuable time for training. (Vienna)
From small to large catamaran trimaran - the training boat of Alinghi crew Decision 35 (D35). The smallest of the training catamarans from Alinghi. Built by the Decision SA, the company that what the Cup Alinghi boats designed and currently in Villeneuve build the multi-hull boat. The fast and small Kats sail mainly on Lake Geneva. "Even if the cat is small, you can learn to sail in light winds," said Alinghi trimmer Nils Frei. And Alinghi coach Pierre-Yves Jorand speaks of a very nervous boat. One could auf dieser Jacht ideal die technischen Aspekte des Segelns üben. Die Boote sind knapp 11 Meter lang und nur 1200 Kilo schwer. Gesegelt wird mit fünf bis sechs Mann. An der Challenge Julius Baer auf dem Genfersee nehmen zehn Profiteams teil. Nach drei von sechs Regatten liegt Alinghi in Führung. Die Crew wird von Alinghi-Eigner Bertarelli, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Détrey und Murray Jones gebildet. Der Einheitskat erreicht eine Geschwindigkeit von bis zu 25 Knoten.
Extreme 40. Der wohl schnellste Kat in der Kategorie der 40-Füsser, 2004 für das Volvo Ocean Race gebaut. Er ist gut zwölf Meter lang und 1250 Kilo leicht. Mit fünf Mann Besatzung erreicht die Jacht eine Geschwindigkeit von 40 Knoten. Alinghi trainiert in Valencia with two of the Kats. "This is a boat that is very easy to sail," says Nils Frei. The trimmer is one of the core team of Alinghi sailors. Since 2007, the iShares Cup a European Circuit, on which Alinghi also participates. At the first race in Lugano, the Swiss yacht capsized in a Gewitterböe. Hyères, the team won, however, and is now in intermediate ranking in second place. Next weekend it comes from the Skandia Cowes Week to a duel with BMW Oracle. At the wheel of the Australian James Spithill will be available after Russell Coutts announced recently that he was not at the next America's Cup would control. Alinghi's Ed Baird will play this central position. The Americans will probably also in the Cup at the control posts.
Le Black and Orma 60th Le Black is a 41-foot catamaran built in 2000 and Ernesto Bertarelli three years successfully in the Bol d'Or was used on the lake. Then the boat was mothballed in a shed. Now it was reactivated and transferred to Valencia. The 12.5-meter and 1850-pound cat is used primarily as a test platform. "This yacht is an ideal addition to our multihull program. She is also a good tool for designers to "understand the multi-hull boats better, says the Swiss Pierre-Yves Detrey. Thus, the catamaran is sailed by the designers of the new cup boat. By half greater sind die Trimarane, mit denen Alinghi in Lorient trainiert. Der Orma-60-Mehrrümpfer (siehe grosses Foto) ist 18,28 Meter lang und fast gleich breit. Er wurde bis vor kurzem vor allem in Offshore-Rennen (vorwiegend über den Atlantik) eingesetzt, wird nun aber von den grösseren Orma 70 abgelöst. Die Orma-60-Tris sind bis zu 75 km/h schnell. Das Cup-Boot wird möglicherweise ähnlich aussehen. (wr.)
