Alinghi Launches Multihull Training Programme on Lake Geneva

The D35 SUI6 is launched on to Lake Geneva for the 2009 season. Image copyright © Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.

by Daphne Morgan Barnicoat

Alinghi, 33rd America's Cup Defender, has started its 2009-2010 multihull campaign in Switzerland launching the two Décision 35 catamarans that will be used as training platforms towards a multihull America's Cup in May 2010. The sailing team will be dedicated to multihull training, racing the Challenge Julius Baer on Lake Geneva for the rest of the season and withdrawing from other monohull commitments.

In addition to Ernesto Bertarelli's original SUI1, the team has chartered a second Décision 35 (SUI6) for the season and the two grand prix multihulls will race the eight events that span the summer, starting on 8 May with the Grand Prix Corum.

Ed Baird will helm Alinghi SUI6 with Brad Butterworth as tactician while Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi president, will helm Alinghi SUI1. “Ernesto and his team have been strong in this class for years, we look forward to learning from and with them throughout the season,” said Baird. “We realise we have a lot to learn, and there will be a number of great crews to race against, so we're excited to have the opportunity to get back on the water in a competitive environment.”

The Alinghi multihulls will face a strong 10-boat fleet that includes some of the best offshore multihull sailors in the world, and while an Alinghi team has won the last two championships on the Lake, the group is candid in its expectations: “We are here to try to win, just as we did last year, but this season is going to be tough: the circuit has two new boats (Veltigroup and Banque Populaire) manned by highly professional multihull sailors with lots of experience, so the starts of the races will be more challenging. We will definitely be trying to keep the trophy in our hands though!” said Yves Detrey, Alinghi bow/mastman.

The first event, the Grand Prix Corum is from 8-10 May at the Société Nautique de Genève, so the Alinghi teams will start training from next Monday, “the D-35's represent a more sophisticated racing multihull than we have experienced before, and we need all the training opportunities we can get as we prepare for an America's Cup in multihulls,” Ed Baird concluded.

Crew lists

Alinghi SUI1
Club: Société Nautique de Genève
Ernesto Bertarelli, helmsman
Pierre-Yves Jorand, mainsail trimmer, performance
Nils Frei, trimmer
Yves Detrey, bow/mastman, boat captain
JC Monnin, trimmer, performance
Luc Dubois, helmsman, performance
Tanguy Cariou, tactician
Coraline Jonet, trimmer
Andrew Graham, spare
Claudy Dewarrat, coach
Christian Wahl, tactician

Alinghi SUI6
Club: Société Nautique de Genève
Ed Baird, helmsman
Brad Butterworth, tactician
Warwick Fleury, mainsail trimmer
Lorenzo Mazza, trimmer
Piet van Nieuwenhuijzen, bow/mastman
Curtis Blewett, bow/mastman
Murray Jones, tactician

D35 racing programme: Challenge Julius Baer 2009

Dates Events Organiser
8-10 May 2009 Grand Prix Corum SNG
23-24 May 2009 Grand Prix Romandie.com - Act ISNR
6 June 2009 Genève-Rolle-Genève YCG
13 June 2009 Bol d'Or Mirabaud SNG
27-28 June 2009 Grand Prix Romandie.com - Act IICNV
22-23 August 2009 Open de Nyon SNR
5-6 September 2009 HP Cup La Réserve YLSNG
18-20 September 2009 Grand Prix Beau-Rivage Palace CVV

D35 teams for the Challenge Julius Baer 2009

SUI1 Alinghi SUI1
SUI2 Okalys-Corum
SUI3 Julius Baer
SUI4 Zen Too
SUI5 Foncia
SUI6 Alinghi SUI6
SUI7 Zebra 7
SUI8 Romandie.com
SUI9 Smart Home
SUI10 Ladycat
SUI11 Veltigroup
SUI12 Banque Populaire

Additional information on the Décision 35 class

The D35 catamaran is a strict one design concept constructed with materials produced by cutting edge technology – its improved aerodynamics result in a lighter and faster craft. With the distinctive feature of three hulls – the outer two acting as floats and the central hull acting as a strengthening structure – this catamaran is well suited to racing.

The D35 Class was founded in 2004 by Swiss sailors for friendly competition on Swiss lakes.

Design team: Damien Cardenoso, Bertrand Cardis, Christian Favre, Jean-Marie Fragnière, Gérard Gautier, Rémi Laval-Jeantet, Sébastien Schmidt and Steve Wasem
Length overall LOA: 14.95m (49ft)
Beam: 8.74m (29ft)
Dry weight: 1200kg
Draft: 3.2m (10.5ft)
Mast height: 20m (65.6ft)
Mainsail area: 81.6m2 (878ft2)
Gennaker area: 70.8m2 (762ft2)
Jib area: 40.7m2 (438ft2)
Top speed: 25 knots
Crew: 5 (minimum) – 6 men or 7 women (maximum)

Alinghi