D35 Trophy

A rare result - and one not to be repeated

2 September, 2018

In victory, as in defeat, it's important to keep a sense of perspective and to have an honest appraisal of one's performance. It is in that spirit that the team's result in the l'Open du Yacht Club must be viewed. The regatta, which marked the resumption of the second half of the D35 Season, saw Alinghi finish 9th out of 9 after the four races run, with a strong wind having deprived the fleet of the remaining races in the regatta. Without seeking excuses, here are some explanations: Ernesto Bertarelli, skipper: "Following Nils's injury last week in Cardiff, we had to reshape our D35 crew. Arnaud went from the mainsail to the foresail to replace Nils, and Pierre-Yves joined us to trim the mainsail. With two changes of position among a crew of six there's inevitably a period of adaptation required, not least for team communications to be refined. That's all-the-more impactful when you have windy conditions as we had in this Grand Prix. We made mistakes which we'd not normally make and with a fleet this compact and competitive, errors like that really are expensive. We made too many of them and given how few races there were, we couldn't get back into the game. I'd like to congratulate the Zen Too crew who won this stage having again demonstrated their ability in a strong breeze."   Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "In two races we made a mistake by sailing too close to our opponents and the jury penalised us with enforced turns. So, in the space of a few seconds, we found ourselves at the back of the fleet with no real possibility of making-up the ground, especially given the similar boat speed in this kind of wind conditions. Our starts weren't great, either, but we'll work on those this week to come back stronger in a few days." With two events to go in the 2018 D35 Championship Alinghi retains the lead, followed by Zen Too and Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier. The team looks forward to having you follow their progress next weekend for the "Alinghi Grand Prix", which will be raced in front of Crans-près-Céligny from the 7th to the 9th of September. Click here for the rankings To find out more d35trophy.com Event hashtags #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi's team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Credit for photos © Loris Von Siebenthal

A very ‘lemanique’ 80th Bol d’Or

10 June, 2018

Just before the start, some had predicted a possible arrival of around midnight. And as it transpired it was just minutes after that, that four D35s were to be found at an almost equal position between the 'entry mark' and the finish line in front of the SNG...but without any wind! Time passes until...it is finally Mobimo who pocket the 80th Bol d'Or Mirabaud, which was launched at 10am Saturday morning for 543 competitors. They finished ahead of Okalys Youth Project, Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier, and Alinghi in 4th. After being at the forefront for a long time, even the 137 cumulative entries of Alinghi's crew in the Bol d'Or over the years were not enough to make the final difference (25th for Ernesto, 38th for Pierre-Yves, 17th for Arnaud, 7th for Nicolas, 20th for Nils et 30th for Yves). After 14 hours of racing, the victory came down to just the last few metres. But, in the opinion of all, even the winner, luck plays as well its part in these type of races, especially with very light wind conditions. The team is obviously a little disappointed after crossing the line". Nils Frei, headsail trimmer said: "It was a super- classic Bol d'Or, with some séchard and rebat breezes, the transitions between, the lulls...but you also need a bit of luck, otherwise you can't win. We sailed a good race, but it ended like a true Bol". Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "It's more fun when there is a strong wind and it ends at 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon, but it was a beautiful regatta. We had a very classic Bol with well-known Lake Geneva conditions and a mixed classification just before the finish line. There are years when the start is very important. Boats escape and we do not see them anymore. This year, the boats have come back from the Bouveret. To stay focused on the long-term? It's not a problem, I do not look at my watch. We were so caught up in the race that we didn't notice time pass!" Pierre-Yves Jorand, team manager and floater for this race said: "It was a race where there was lots of overtaking, lots of changes of the leaders, and so it was necessary to refocus often. Like when you're sailing in a Grand Prix actually. It was necessary to look for the right trajectories, the favourable positions, to know how to change our sailing modes. The return to Geneva was not easy. It was building a little behind, and at the entrance to the petit lac there were not many wind signals left. Mobimo pulled-off an incredible comeback and took the lead at the entry mark, few meters away from the finish. We believed until the end, but just missed out on a last pressure to cross the finish line ahead of our rivals." The team will see you in Barcelona this Thursday, June 14 for the next Act of the Extreme Sailing Series in the foiling GC32s. Click here for all the rankings of the Bol d'Or Mirabaud 2018. To find out more d35trophy.com //  boldormirabaud.ch Event hashtags #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy // #BOM18 To find out more about the race tracking system, the team composition and the circuit in general, find the event recap by clicking here. Photo credits ©Toast Prod & Alinghi

2nd round of the D35 Trophy, as well as the GC32 World Championship

17 May, 2018

From May the 19th to the 27th, Alinghi will be taking-on seven full days of racing over two events: > The second stage of the D35 Trophy takes place from Saturday the 19th to the 21st of May. Organised by the Versoix Yacht Club, it again will bring together the nine boats competing for the 2018 Championship. > Following its official recognition as a class by the international federation, World Sailing, last December, the very first GC32 World Championship will take place on the iconic Lake Garda between the 24th and 27th of May. Some 13 to 15 boats have responded to the invitation issued by Fraglia Vela Riva and the GC32 Class and will line-up against one another to compete for the ultimate title. Pierre-Yves Jorand, Alinghi's team director, said: "With these two regattas so close together we will have to know how to best stay focused day after day, and we will take advantage of every precious free moment so as to optimise our recovery phases. But, of course, we're delighted to be involved with both, as competition is what we live for. The GC32 World Championship will be magnificent, what with the teams taking part and the ideal setting for sailing that Lake Garda usually provides." Follow the action On Twitter @teamalinghi > Updates after each race, as well as photos and video clips On Facebook @teamalinghi and Instagram @alinghi > Interviews, videos and photos On our website > News and photos To find out more d35trophy.com // gc32worlds.com Event hashtags #GoAlinghiGo // #D35Trophy // #GC32worlds To find out more about how to follow the racing, the composition of the team and the D35 Trophy in general, find a recap of the competition by clicking here. Credit for photos © Lloyd Images

On the starting blocks for the 15th D35 Trophy

2 May, 2018

A one-design multihull contest, nine teams competing, and eight races to be run this season on Lake Geneva, as in 2017. So, here we go again as we begin the 15th edition of the D35 Trophy. Things are not exactly the same, however! As a small aside, the weight limit for crews has gone up by 10kg, to 480. During the 'transfer window', some teams have taken the opportunity to mix things up. Not so, Alinghi, the title holder, who return aiming for a seventh victory in the championship and who welcome back the same sailors that were victorious last time. The weather forecast promises – so far at least – wind for the practice day and for the first day of racing, perhaps enough to see the boats hit something-like 25 knots. Let's hope it turns out to be accurate! We look forward to seeing you from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th of May, with six races scheduled per day in this opening D35 Grand Prix, which is organised by our club, the Société Nautique de Genève.   Follow the action You can keep-up with the racing, with up to six races per day in the Grand Prix by: On Twitter @alinghiteam > Updates after each race, as well as photos and video clips On Facebook @teamalinghi and Instagram @alinghi > Interviews, videos and photos On our website > News and photos   To find out more d35trophy.com Event hashtags #GoAlinghiGo  //  #D35Trophy If you want to know more about how to follow the racing, about Alinghi’s team, or just about this regatta in general, you will find all that you need in this news story. Credit for photos © Lloyd Images

Useful Information - D35 Trophy

1 May, 2018

D35 SEASON - A RECAP What: Décision 35 (‘D35’) multihull championship, sailed exclusively on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The 2018 D35 Trophy comprises eight events: six Grand Prix and two ‘lémanique’ classics, the Genève-Rolle-Genève and the Bol d'Or Mirabaud. Who: Nine teams with a crew of between five and seven (there is a team weight limit of 480kg, except for the Genève-Rolle-Genève and the Bol d'Or Mirabaud) Where: Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) When: From May to September (click here to view the calendar) How: For the six Grand Prix, the teams compete in a number of races, each of which last about half an hour, around a course marked by buoys. For the two Lémanique classics, the teams follow courses along the lake’s shore, racing to round a mark and then back to finish where they had begun the race. Follow the action You can keep-up with the racing, with up to six races per day in the Grand Prix by: On Twitter @teamalinghi > Updates after each race, as well as photos and video clips On Facebook @teamalinghi and Instagram @alinghi > Interviews, videos and photos On our website > News and photos D35 Team* Helmsman and Skipper: Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) Mainsail trimmer: Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) Tactician: Nicolas Charbonnier (FRA) Frontsail trimmer: Nils Frei (SUI) Floater: Coraline Jonet (FRA) Bowman: Yves Detrey (SUI) Technical Team João Cabeçadas (POR) David Nikles (SUI) Coach and Team Director Claudy Dewarrat (SUI) Pierre-Yves Jorand (SUI) For more info d35trophy.com Event hashtags #GoAlinghiGo  //  #D35Trophy Credit for photos © Lloyd Images *Temporary changes to the crew - For the Bol d'Or Mirabaud (raced without constraints on total crew weight), Pierre-Yves Jorand was the team’s floater - For the Open du Yacht Club and the Alinghi Grand Prix in Crans, Nils Frei (groin injury) was replaced by Arnaud Psarofaghis as frontsail trimmer and Pierre-Yves Jorand as mainsail trimmer - For the Realstone Grand Prix, Nils Frei (groin injury) was replaced by Bryan Mettraux as frontsail trimmer.