ValenciaSailing.com talks with Alinghi's Grant Simmer

by www.valenciasailing.com on 26 May 2007
On Tuesday morning we visited the Alinghi base and talked to Grant Simmer, managing director of the 32nd America's Cup Defender.

This time around we didn't inquire in depth on the Swiss team's ongoing preparation for the America's Cup match in a month from now but were curious to learn Simmer's view on the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinalists and his take on the two potential challengers.

Valencia Sailing: What is your view on the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals? Are you surprised by the results? Did you expect to see BMW Oracle go down 5-1?

Grant Simmer: No, I didn't expect it and I was really surprised. It's just sad that such a strong team with so much talent gets eliminated from the event but this is exactly the event's nature. When Luna Rossa and BMW Oracle went in there, one of them was going to be eliminated. Both were extremely strong teams but I was surprised it happened so quickly and so definitively for Luna Rossa. On the other hand, Luna Rossa sailed extremely well, their sailing team did an excellent job. They were smart, crew work was impeccable and as Chris Dickson said they took BMW Oracle by surprise, they underestimated their opponent.

Valencia Sailing: So, was it an issue of Luna Rossa doing an excellent work rather than BMW Oracle failing?

Grant Simmer: Clearly Luna Rossa did an extremely good work but I think BMW Oracle were a little surprised by that and couldn't or didn't or it was too late to react. It wasn't what they had anticipated and it appears they were shocked by it and couldn't react fast enough. Frankly, I look at that and think, 'God, I hope it doesn't happen to us'. You know we are a strong team, just like BMW Oracle, and when you see how easy it was for it to happen, it's scary. It's a valuable lesson for us. When things go wrong and not as expected you should be strong to react in the little time you have remaining.

Valencia Sailing: What about the other semifinal? Are you surprised to see Desafío Español winning two races against Emirates Team NZ?

Grant Simmer: I think that at least they had the potential to take a couple of races.Now if you ask me whether they could win the semifinal, I think their chances are pretty low, especially considering they have to win three consecutive matches while the New Zealanders need only one. It's fabulous though for a young team, basically a new one, to get to a level comparable to that of a very strong team. Emirates Team NZ haven't been sailing badly, they have been sailing very well and we all know there is an incredible depth and experience in them.

For the rest of this story and the latest America's Cup and other sailing news from Valencia please see ValenciaSailing.com at http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com