BMW Oracle wins the 33rd America’s Cup
Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010. |
| Article by Daphne Morgan Barnicoat,
Alinghi. |
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| Alinghi put forth a tremendous effort today in its attempt to defend the 33rd America’s Cup. The Swiss team from the Société Nautique de Genève led for most of the first leg of the triangular course, but couldn’t hold off the Challenger BMW Oracle Racing. Alinghi lost the race by 5 minutes and 26 seconds and the America’s Cup Match, 2-0. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Alinghi 5 on day
7 during Race 2, of the 33rd America's Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| Team president and principal
helmsman Ernesto Bertarelli, congratulated his competitor after
the race. "Congratulations to the BMW Oracle team. The
boat was faster, there’s
no question about that," said Bertarelli. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Alinghi ahead of USA 17 on day
7, early in Race 2 of the 33rd America's
Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| "The thing that comes to mind right now is that over the last 10 years, anyone who has ever come close to the Alinghi team understands what I feel now," added Bertarelli. "There’s a unique warmth, unique spirit, unique friendship that ties any person who has either worked, cheered, come close and met the Alinghi team, so I’m very proud of our team and what we have achieved over last 10 years." |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Ernesto Bertarelli at the helm of Alinghi 5 on day
7, ahead of Race 21 of the 33rd America's Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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Today’s race was postponed for more than six hours from the scheduled start time of 10:06. Similar to Friday, the race committee waited for the wind to settle.
Around 16:10 the race committee set a windward mark bearing 100 degrees, just south of due east, and the two crews started at 16:25. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Alinghi 5 on day 7, during Race 21 of the 33rd America's
Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| Bertarelli guided Alinghi 5 onto the race course on port tack about mid-line, despite receiving a penalty. The crew wanted the right side of the course, hoping for the favourable wind shift. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Alinghi 5 on day
7, during Race 21 of the 33rd America's Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| Almost 14 minutes into the race, Alinghi 5 tacked to starboard and into a right-hand wind shift that lifted the 90ft load waterline catamaran into the lead. For the next 35 minutes or so, both boats held starboard tack with Alinghi, now steered by Loïck Peyron, to windward of the challenger and holding the lead in the wind shift. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Day 7, Alinghi crosses USA17 anear the windward mark
during Race 2 of the 33rd America's Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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Alinghi crossed the challenger near the windward mark, but lost the lead when it tacked to port to approach the mark.
The challenger led by 28 seconds at the first mark and then, propelled by its wing, and increased that lead by more than 2 minutes at the second mark. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Day 7, USA17 ahead of Alinghi during Race
2 of the 33rd America's Cup.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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"We were a bit disappointed the whole thing is over in two races, but you have to hand it to Oracle," said team skipper and tactician Brad Butterworth. "What they wound up with is like a plane, not a boat. So they deserve to beat us. They went very fast and sailed well. Give all credit to them."
Butterworth reflected on the race and the diffiiculties they faced at the starting line, that resulted in a pre-start penalty. |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Day 7 - Race 2, USA17 wins the 33rd America's Cup Match
for the GGYC
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| "We had a little problem; the start line was difficult to get to at our end. There were a lot of boats near the port end and we had to gybe around and were late to the starboard end. And that was full of boats too. We were a couple of seconds late and got a penalty, but that wasn’t going to decide the race." |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
Day 7 - Race 2, USA17 wins the 33rd America's Cup
Match for the GGYC.
Photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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"The whole team here is of course disappointed," said Alinghi’s principal designer, Rolf Vrolijk. "We have worked for this for 10 years and at the end, you want to win. That’s why you do this. Everybody did a really good job. I think we did the best we could in the time we had."
"We’re quite happy the boat today showed some performance against the other boat," added Vrolijk. "Maybe with more time we would have done better, but I think we will all survive again!" |
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Valencia, Spain, February 14, 2010.
James Spithill, Russell Coutts, Larry Ellison
win the 33rd America's Cup for the GGYC.
Photo © Guido Trombetta / Alinghi. www.carloborlenghi.com.
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| Alinghi was created in 2000 by Ernesto Bertarelli and won the 31st America’s Cup at its first try in 2003, defeating Team New Zealand 5-0 to become the first European team to win the Cup. The Swiss team successfully defended the 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia in 2007, defeating Team New Zealand again 5-2. |
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| Please visit www.carloborlenghi.com for
more information about the photography of Carlo Borlenghi,
Stefano Gattini, Bruno Cocozza, Guido Trombetta and Luca
Buttò. |
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| Visit http://www.alinghi.com for
more information about Alinghi, defender of the 33rd America's
Cup. |
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