3 juillet 2007 : Bertarelli garde la Cup

Quatre ans après, le patron d’Alinghi conserve le plus vieux trophée sportif du monde

This final race of the America’s Cup America's Cup #AmericasCup was befitting of what has been the closest, most exciting America’s Cup America's Cup #AmericasCup in recent history. Emirates Team New Zealand spent much of the race ahead on the advantage line, but with Alinghi in strong tactical position on the right hand side of the race course. The Kiwis were never able to get a big enough lead to cross ahead and switch sides.

After making a pass on the first run and leading through the leeward gate by 14 seconds, Emirates Team New Zealand again found it couldn’t get across the bow of SUI 100 on the second upwind leg.

With both boats approaching the top mark separated by just a few metres, the Kiwis, approaching from the left on port tack, faced Alinghi roaring in on the privileged starboard tack. Both boats went into a ‘dial-down’ and the Umpires penalised the port tack NZL 92 crew for not keeping clear of Alinghi. That, effectively, was the race. Alinghi rounded the top mark ahead by 12 seconds and looked secure for the win.

But then, an enormous windshift saw Emirates Team New Zealand able to lay finishing line which was now upwind. As Alinghi struggled to drop its spinnaker, the Kiwis turned into tack to fulfil its penalty obligation. Now downspeed, the Kiwis could only watch in horror as Alinghi slid across the line, just one second ahead.

As SUI 100 crossed the finishing line, the crew was muted in its celebration, still stunned by what had occurred over the past five minutes. The spectator fleet paid its respect through a cacophony of boat horns. Then, the relieved and excited Alinghi crew took up a tow to join in the celebrations in Port America’s Cup

It was a perfect day for racing on the waters off Valencia, with the bright, warm, Valencian sun generating a strong 14 to 17 knot sea breeze until the final moments of the race.

Match 7 – Alinghi beat Emirates Team New Zealand – DELTA 0:01

Yet again it was a tense and aggressive pre-start between the teams, with Dean Barker refusing the traditional dial-up in favour of getting below Alinghi’s stern and chasing Ed Baird around the start box.

Barker always looked in control, but at start time both boats were at full speed off the line, Alinghi to the right of NZL 92. Baird managed to live there for some minutes, until he was forced to tack away over to the right.

The Kiwis claimed the lead for a brief moment up the beat, but towards the top of the course Alinghi managed to hold their opponent past the port layline. A luffing match ensued before Baird accelerated and took SUI 100 around the windward mark 7 seconds ahead.

Down the run, the Kiwi gybes and spinnaker handling looked more assured, and with the Alinghi spinnaker flailing momentarily, Barker surged past Baird into the lead. At the bottom gate, the Kiwis opted for the simpler spinnaker drop, taking the left-hand mark, Alinghi making a difficult gybe-drop look easy and rounding the right-hand mark 14 seconds behind.

The Kiwis tacked over to loose-cover Alinghi as both boats tracked out to the right-hand side. Brad Butterworth called for a tack over at the Kiwis and a tacking duel ensued. Alinghi appeared to be winning the battle, and eventually the Kiwis disengaged, still a boatlength ahead but to the left of their rivals.

When Barker reached the port layline, he tacked and immediately bore away into a dial-down against Baird. The Kiwis tried to get below the line of SUI 100, but it was close. The Swiss flew a Y flag in protest, and the Umpires flew a yellow penalty flag in response.

Now a penalty down, the Kiwis rounded the final mark 12 seconds behind. On the final run to the finish, the breeze was dropping, but the Kiwis could make no impact. Alinghi was on the final approach to the finish when their spinnaker pole flew off the mast, the spinnaker flailing. At the same time the breeze dropped and shifted massively.

Alinghi - dead in the water - was overtaken. Then the Kiwis almost reached the line and took their penalty with a double-tack. Struggling to accelerate, they bore away to cross but Alinghi made it across the finish by just 1 second.

match 7 : Alinghi bat TNZ d’une seconde

La 32^e édition de la Coupe de l’America se termine par un match exceptionnel et une seule seconde de différentiel entre les deux bateaux.

Ernesto Bertarelli, President of Alinghi, and Defender of the America’s Cup, on the last four years : “This is definitely bigger and better than last time. It has been much, much harder than I ever thought it would be. I think I was a bit naive in 2003 when I won. I have learnt more about the America’s Cup over the last ten days than I have learnt over the last seven years. It has really been an unbelievable experience in team building – to work with unbelievable people, through highs and lows and we have had a lot of them. I want to thank and mention the whole team. It’s been a real lesson in life ; one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and today, besides the birth of my kids, is probably the best day of my life.”

Ernesto Bertarelli, on the 32nd America’s Cup : “Valencia has been a perfect venue for this first America’s Cup in Europe, surely team new Zealand helped, but I don’t think anyone can remember a more exciting match. Every single race was unbelievable. We will be thinking about the future shortly but right now its time to celebrate this victory.”

Ernesto Bertarelli, on winning with and without Russell Coutts : “Winning with Russell in 2003 will be one of the greatest memories ever. The beauty of this one is that it’s completely different - the team, the group, the helmsman, and if I had to pick one I would certainly pick this one, because it’s today and closer, and because it’s been harder. When you have to fight the way we have fought, and pull deep into the team, into each and every individual who was with us over the last four years, it makes it possibly the most fulfilling and the strongest victory, because this time the team has been able to come back from behind. Look at the score ! Whenever we were behind everyone in the team pulled together to make it happen. It was everybody’s victory. The harder it gets the better it gets.”

Brad Butterworth, Skipper of Alinghi, on the key moment of the race : “The one second finish was very important.”

Brad Butterworth, on the last run : “Downwind turned a little bit into a minefield. I was a bit in denial that the breeze wasn’t going to hold, but Warwick Fleury did a good job of coaxing us to get the jib up on deck and get things going, and in the end the penalty was worth it. If it hadn’t been for the shift we would have won by over a hundred metres. It was great crew work.”

Brad Butterworth, on what he thought crossing the line : “Please put the blue flag up ! - I’ve been lucky with the guys I have sailed with through those past four editions – Dean Phipps, Murray Jones, Warwick Fleury and Simon Daubney and I have sailed together for years, and it’s been a fantastic partnership and friendship. We have ended up in another team and with such a strong group of people. The strength has been fantastic and it has been incredibly fulfilling to sail with the best people in the world and show it in a regatta that has gone to the wire. It’s been different to the 5-0 of the others – it’s been really tough at times. To win against a team we have been so close to shows the strength of our group. It’s very fulfilling. The Cup is getting bigger and better. Defending with TNZ was a fantastic achievement as it hadn’t been defended outside the US, but now 150 years later it is defended in Europe for the first time ever with this team.”

Ed Baird, Helmsman of Alinghi, on the ‘dial down’ : “It is something that the whole team has worked on for the past six months or so. Peter Holmberg and I have tried to put each other in as difficult positions as possible, and it lets the guys experience how it’s all going to work out. We’ve made a lot of mistakes over the past six months and we have learnt from everyone. Today coming in there it was fantastic just to feel confident and assured of how it was all going to work. And in the end it did go right for us.”

Ed Baird, on Emirates Team New Zealand : “I was part of TNZ in ’95. It has been amazing to watch the group and team develop over the years. The group has changed substantially but they have shown great strength and prowess on the race course, and developed skill in every area to a very high level. We are very proud to have finished in front of them in this event and it is really a great job done, as it’s not an easy event. It’s not an easy sport ; there are a lot of places where things can occur as you saw in the last Cup in Auckland. At any moment disaster can strike - just like it tried to at the finish for us today with the pole breaking and the big wind shift. Its tight, fascinating racing and we have had two great competitors out there this week.”

Grant Dalton, Head of Syndicate Emirate Team New Zealand, his feelings after the race : “The guys have done an amazing job, and right now aren’t feeling that sharp – it’s been a long four years. I am of course enormously proud of them but Alinghi did a better job than us.”

Grant Dalton, on the the 32nd America’s Cup : “We enjoyed the Louis Vuitton but knew it was a just a step along the run to the ultimate prize of the America’s Cup. We didn’t come here to take part, we came here to win it and we haven’t done that. So now we have to re-group and see what the future holds. We don’t have a clue what is going to happen. We have been focussed on the present, and now we just need a bit of time. The New Zealand fans have been absolutely marvellous – so supportive both here in New Zealand and out and I take my hat off to them.”

Terry Hutchinson, Tactician, Emirates Team New Zealand, on the last roll of the dice before the finish : “It was a matter of throwing the dice down, and we threw ‘em down, but just not by enough. That ‘just not by enough’ has been a theme of the last three races. To lead in two of the three of the last races at the top mark, and not win those races, was disappointing.”

Terry Hutchinson, in praise of his team : “An unbelievable team effort. Dalts did a spectacular job. It was nice to be involved with a team that has the amount of character and heart that our teams has. Deano did good work. It was good to be a part of a team that was defeated in the manner that they were to come and fight like we did. And it’s nice to be included in that, 98have some of the influence in that, and partake in the whole thing. Every now and then you need a couple of breaks to go our way, and in the last couple of races not one really ever went our way, which is a sign of the fact that Alinghi were doing a good job and going well. You can’t say enough about the calibre of that team. Hats off to them.”