Alinghi says sea trials have it on course for cup

AP

BIG CAT: Alinghi's catamaran is put through its paces during a training session along the coast of Genoa, Italy, last month.

Alinghi was ahead of schedule in learning how to master its massive catamaran built to defend the America's Cup, crew member Ed Baird has said.

The two-time defending Cup champion is undergoing sea trials aboard the 27-metre (90-foot) Alinghi 5 off Italy's Mediterranean coast, preparing for the showdown against bitter US rival BMW Oracle Racing in February in the Persian Gulf.

"It's a nice feeling. Certainly we've had growing pains like all new boats but they've been very limited," Baird, an American helmsman on the Swiss syndicate's 2007 Cup-winning crew, said.

Baird said Alinghi 5 feels "light and excited" on the open water.

"It definitely has a personality. Even though it is this massive thing, it just wants to go fast," he said.

Baird spoke in Geneva as the team unveiled hotel chain Manotel as its second hometown sponsor following watchmaker Hublot. Swiss bank UBS withdrew its backing in the spring.

Now working in Genoa, the 22-member Alinghi squad was still measuring the boat's potential since it was launched on Lake Geneva in July.

"We all expected that we would take a few days of sailing the boat around the lake here before we started to really trim the sails and tried to fly the hull," Baird said. "But that happened on the first day."

The boat was hoisted by helicopter from its lakeside boatyard and carried over the Alps to Genoa a month ago.

It will stay in Italy through September before being shipped to the race venue – Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates – for final trials. The best-of-3 races start on Feb. 8.

"It's challenging because of its size, there's no question. All the pieces have to function properly in order for it to be safe," said Baird, an eight-time world champion preparing for his fourth Cup regatta.

"You tip this boat over and you're going to get rocketed through space and thrown into something ugly in the water that you don't want to hit."

Baird believes all of Alinghi 5's moves are being monitored by observers from BMW Oracle, which represents San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club.

"They have sent a variety of people to watch us every day," he said. "I'm glad they're paying attention and I hope they're enjoying what they're getting a chance to see."

BMW Oracle's equally stunning trimaran, funded by US software tycoon Larry Ellison, has had a longer series of trials off San Diego.

Ellison and Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli, a Swiss biotech billionaire, have seen their former friendship strained by two years of arguing over race rules.

The courtroom battles eventually forced the 33rd Cup into a head-to-head grudge match, though Baird said Bertarelli was enjoying life on the water again.

"The smile on his face is certainly getting bigger in the last few weeks as the boat has gone sailing more and more," Baird said.

- AP