[Alinghi] Alinghi on learning the hard way

A

fter an encouraging opening day on Friday, the Swiss challenger struggled to maintain momentum across Saturday’s three fleet races, with penalties, a splashdown and a capsize proving costly in an ultra-competitive AC40 fleet.

- Advertisement, article continues below -

Mustang 3800 - 2009

NZD $235,000

2009 Mustang 3800, 11.74m cruising launch. Twin Volvo D6 310HP engines, 620HP total, 1000L fuel capacity. A capable and stylish New Zealand-built cruiser. Auckland. NZD $235,000.

View Listing

The most significant moment came in Race 5 when the team capsized during a downwind gybe after an aggressive start left the crew with a boat-on-boat penalty and chasing from the back of the fleet. All four sailors were quickly confirmed safe, while the shore and support teams worked rapidly to return the AC40 to racing condition for the day’s final race.

“It’s been a tough day. We made some big changes overnight, went back out there today and struggled a lot. The boat wasn’t working quite as it should, so we spent all day trying to problem-solve and make it better. We obviously didn’t sail at our best either, so it’s been a tricky day.

“But we got a good look at how we operate under pressure as a team. Everybody was trying to problem-solve as best they could, and that’s probably the biggest positive to take from it. We learned a lot about ourselves today, and now we look forward to tomorrow.”

— Paul Goodison, Skipper and Starboard Helm

“We knew before coming here that we didn’t have many hours on the water as a team, and so we are still proud of how the team is working; everybody is working really hard, especially the shore team; they have been trying to get the most from the boat over these three days.”

— Pietro Sibello, Port Trim

Boating New Zealand Insert

- Advertisement, article continues below -

Alinghi’s Day 2 Reality Check: High Operational Pressures, Low Tactical Margin

While Tudor Team Alinghi showed flashes of promise on Day 1, Day 2 on the Gulf of Angels delivered a brutal lesson in the steep learning curve of the ultra-competitive AC40 fleet. The Swiss challenger struggled significantly with a combination of light, unstable air, technical gremlins, and unforced errors, culminating in a boat-on-boat penalty and a downwind capsize in Race 5.

The silver lining for Alinghi isn’t on the leaderboard—where they sit 7th out of 8 teams—but in their internal mechanics under pressure. Skipper Paul Goodison admitted the crew spent the entire afternoon problem-solving an AC40 that “wasn’t working quite as it should.”

For a team that openly acknowledges their deficit in dynamic water time compared to the frontrunners, the rapid response of the shore crew to get the boat back out for the final race is the real metric of progress. Alinghi isn’t lacking heart or technical resources, but they are lacking the fluid muscle-memory required when foiling maneuvers turn aggressive in the light stuff.