Sailing
Touch down in 2024 America’s Cup waters
Here she is ! After months working in the shed, Alinghi Red Bull Racing revealed the BoatZero.
Previously owned by Emirates Team New Zealand and called Te Aihe, she was the first AC75 to ever sail. She’s now the first one to touch the water in the city that will host the 37th America’s Cup.
To christen the boat, in a pure Alinghi Red Bull racing style, a free runner climbed on the boat walking the moving foil arm. After few tricks, Hazal Nehir passed the bottle of champagne to Alceo Bertarelli, that broke the traditional bottle on the wing, marking a milestone in the campaign for the 37th America’s Cup.
Behind the boat, a team worked hard to get it ready for today. Women and men that learned to work together in a new city and on a boat they didn’t built. And they were all here today, with a perceptible emotion. “Today is not only the Boat Splash celebration, but also the achievement of a team coming together”, says shore manager Tim Hacket, paying tribute to the great effort each of the team member gave. On the boat and the team sides, everything learned around BoatZero will be useful for BoatOne.
Today, Alinghi Red Bull Racing sets the scene in Port Vell. “We’re super excited of the boat splash happening in Barcelona today, but at the same time, we know we have a long way ahead of us to reach the same level as the other teams are after AC36”, adds co-general manager in charge of the technical operations Silvio Arrivabene.
BoatZero is a solid platform that will enable the sailors to finally get an AC75 experience. Having this boat is definitely a huge chance for the team, both on the design and on the sailing side. Talking of the latter, the young Swiss sailors have the chance to rely on two America’s Cup experiences champions : 2000 winner Dean Barker and 2021 finalist Pietro Sibello. With complementary knowledge gathered within different teams, they work together in bringing the best to the Swiss challenger. “We hadn’t met before, except crossing on the Hauraki Gulf last year, but we have similar personalities and have a lot in common”, tells Sibello.
BoatSplash
© Olaf Pignataro
BoatSplash
© Olaf Pignataro
BoatSplash
© Olaf Pignataro
ShedBCN
© Olaf Pignataro
But the two experts aren’t the only ones to accompany the sailors. Double America’s Cup winner and Alinghi Red Bull Racing head coach, Nils Frei points out a similarity between this campaign and the others he experienced : “Time is key. And we never have enough! Being able to sail this year already on the AC75 is precious for us and we’re going to learn as much as possible.”
The countdown for the first sail is now on. The team will go through several system checks, testing and programming before scheduling the first training in front of Barcelona. Stay tuned!
3 min