CEO Ernesto Bertarelli wants to win the America’s Cup for Switzerland with Alinghi for the third time. He says the team took risks when designing the new boat.
“Alinghi was away from the Cup for ten years, but Alinghi never stopped sailing,” says Ernesto Bertarelli. The next edition of the cup will be held in Barcelona.
Jean-Christophe Bott / Keystone
Ernesto Bertarelli, your team christened the sixth Alinghi boat designed in Switzerland this week in Barcelona. Was this event routine for you?
This baptism was special. The boats with foils are fundamentally more extreme than the boats of the past, and our “Boat-One” is more radical in its shape than the other AC75s. We have given more space to innovations that make the boat faster. Have you seen the photos and drawings of the other boats? We expected more development.
Does that mean Alinghi Red Bull Racing has gone further than the competition in terms of design?
I do not know exactly. What is certain: The “Boat-One” is different from the competition, different from, for example, the AC75 of the Italian Challenger Luna Rossa or that of Team New Zealand. It will be interesting to see how our boat performs against the other America’s Cup participants. At the moment we are definitely very happy with our boat.
It is said that the fastest boat always wins in the America’s Cup.
That’s true, but you also have to know how to do it quickly. If you have a boat that is already fast at its base, then you certainly have a head start. But the human factor cannot be neglected.
What are the advantages of “Boat-One”?
In particular, the rear part of our AC-75 cupper is quite different, which immediately catches the eye. In general, I would say that we have gone a little further than the others in most areas of our boat. It was our conviction to push the design. The result is a fairly aggressive shape.
How did this belief come about?
Experience from previous America’s Cup campaigns shows that the teams that won were the ones that took risks. Our philosophy from the beginning was not to be afraid, to take certain risks and to consistently pursue our convictions. The expression of this attitude is our “Boat-One”. We hope that this design will give us the decisive advantage when the regattas start at the beginning of September.
The stern of the new yacht immediately catches the eye – Alinghi wants to win the America’s Cup with this boat.
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Now the test drives begin. What insights do you hope to gain from this?
One of the most important factors here in Barcelona are the waves. We have worked a lot on this aspect. It is important to know how the boat behaves in the waves. There will be times when we fall on the waves and getting out will be crucial. The less you hit the waves, the better.
Listening to you, it seems like you’re fully involved in the America’s Cup again. How important is sailing in your life today?
Sailing is still very important to me, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken on a new challenge. It still gives me great pleasure to take part in the construction of a team, to contribute my experience and to help ensure that the right decisions are made. Sure, there is a small regret that I can no longer be on board, but today I would be superfluous because all positions on board have become extremely technical and demanding.
Could you still sail in the America’s Cup today?
Maybe with my many years of experience as a helmsman I would have the qualities, but that would also have meant being fully committed for three years. My agenda doesn’t allow that. But I’ll be on board a few times during the training trips, that’s for sure.
Are you still training with the team?
Yes, I take part in the training quite often. I was with the team for two of the sessions we completed in Jidda this winter. But unfortunately I’m not always in Barcelona. That will change in late summer when the Cup begins. I will be present there more often. The team will train almost every day.
How would you describe your role in this campaign?
I listen a lot and make decisions when necessary to improve the team’s performance. Based on my experience with two wins and one loss in the America’s Cup, I have some knowledge of the dynamics within a team. And my role means making sometimes difficult decisions.
Looking back, did the lost 2010 campaign against Oracle achieve as much as the two Cup victories?
Yes absolutely. The big takeaway from this defeat was that all campaigns are different. The challenges, the rules and the competitors are different in each case. You have to take this into account. And you have to remember that a campaign is hard and not a fun party. I am very proud of the work the team has done when I see where we are today.
What decisions did you make based on what you learned from the last campaign?
We were the first team in Barcelona, we chose the best place for the base, we were able to buy the New Zealanders’ training boat and gain great experience in the waves off Barcelona with the “Boat-Zero”. And we had and still have a very good training program for the sailors, especially with the two AC40s that we purchased. Our decision to organize several training camps in Jidda was spot on. There we were able to promote the team spirit and the sailors gained experience in match racing. And they were able to benefit from international sailors we hired to coach them.
They have also included elite rowing and cycling athletes in the team.
Yes, this selection program was very successful. We have continuously improved the quality of the Power Group by making particular use of our partner Red Bull’s international performance center for athletes. And the sailors we knew from Lake Geneva have matured. Today I am very satisfied and confident that we have a good chance of winning the America’s Cup.
Keyword Swiss: In contrast to previous Cup participations, due to the regulations, only Swiss sailors are now on board. Are you happy about this fact?
Alinghi was away from the Cup for ten years, but Alinghi never stopped sailing. Maintaining an Alinghi crew, albeit a reduced one, has meant that we have been able to attract a whole generation of sailors. I see this as my investment in Swiss sailing. So it is possible that we can field eight competitive Swiss sailors today. Not every nation can say that about itself.
Many of the team members praise your management style. How would you describe it?
I am present and available. I listen more than I talk. I trust people who know more than me and understand their fields better than I do.
But you also have to make decisions.
As little as possible. If I have to make a decision, that means there is a problem. But I prefer to have as few problems as possible.
In an interview you said that you have matured in the ten years away from the America’s Cup. What did you mean by that?
One of the reasons we lost to Oracle in 2010 was the fact that we failed to respond to a completely new and different challenge. We should have acted completely differently in this situation. I did have an idea (editor’s note: a defense with a small foiling catamaran that was already able to foil in 2008 thanks to curved daggerboards), but I didn’t dare to implement it because the most important people on the sailing team didn’t believe in it at the time. because they didn’t know the light and fast boats that we had already developed in Switzerland. That’s why it’s important to take risks. And I think we succeeded in doing that with our “Boat-One”.
Possibly a very fast boat, but still a young Swiss team that has no Cup experience. Is that a disadvantage?
No, that’s more of an advantage. Young sailors who have no prejudices are more likely to have an advantage in such a complex campaign that starts from a blank slate. Of course, we also brought with us certain principles and certain structures for managing a campaign from previous times. Today we have, so to speak, an Alinghi skeleton, complemented by the Red Bull organ, bringing a breath of fresh air to an already tried-and-tested approach.
It is also a new boat class.
Yes, these boats are very different from the older cup boats. A new generation of boats with a new generation of sailors – that makes sense. If you know the complexity of an AC75, the way of sailing this boat, then you know that the young generation who are used to working on simulators and who were practically born with a Playstation are at an advantage. Of course, the pressure of the media, the stress of the competition, the noise of the accompanying helicopters can become a burden for the newcomers. But in terms of skill at the helm, they are on par with older sailors, perhaps even ahead of them. This youth is able to deal with the diversity of systems. And she learned to sail on foils.
Foiling is the future of professional sailing. Are there any limits in this domain?
Yes, there are limits because you have to take the extreme speed into account. It can therefore happen that a foiler has to brake before the turning mark. Imagine this: a sailboat that is designed for speed has to brake – very unusual. You have to learn that some maneuvers are more efficient when you brake, like driving a car in a curve.
Do you think the America’s Cup in Barcelona will be as big a success as the one in Valencia in 2007?
I hope so. We wished that the organizer would organize more pre-regattas in Barcelona. It would have been good if we could have sailed in June to draw attention to the Cup. Either way, I’m sure it will be spectacular.
Are you thinking about another campaign after this Cup?
If there are no big surprises, it should be possible to do a second campaign.
If you win, you have to defend the cup.
Not if – we will win!
Bertarelli – before the third Cup victory?
wr. · With his victory in the America’s Cup against New Zealand in 2003, Ernesto Bertarelli made Switzerland a sailing nation. Four years later he defended the prestigious trophy in Valencia. Alinghi, the name of its campaigns and its boats, became a symbol of professional management and sporting excellence in sailing circles. After the defeat against Oracle in 2010, Bertarelli withdrew from the Cup and let Alinghi sail in other racing series. Last year he announced his Cup comeback; With his partner Red Bull, the now 57-year-old French-speaking Swiss wants to win the America’s Cup for the third time in Barcelona this fall. Last week in Barcelona, the team of around 120 people was able to christen the “Boat-One” of the AC75 class. Eight Swiss sailors will compete in the first races of the 37th America’s Cup in the last week of August.