America's Cup Defender launches Décision 35 by chopper

by Alinghi Media on 17 Apr 2009
America's Cup Defender, Alinghi, launched its recently modified Décision 35 today from the Alinghi boatyard in Villeneuve, Switzerland, by helicopter

The newly modified multihull is race-ready for the next Challenge Julius Baer which kicks off on 8 May with the Grand Prix Corum on Lake Geneva organised by the Société Nautique de Genève.

Yves Detrey, mastman and D35 boat captain, explained what tweaks have been made to the boat over the winter: 'While there is not much we can modify on the boat because the rule is very precise, there are small gaps in the rule here and there so we’ve tried to optimise as much as possible on the electronics and the running rigging. Also the look is different.'

What are your expectations for the upcoming season?

'We are here to try to win, just as we did last year, but this season is going to be tough: the circuit has two new boats (Veltigroup and Banque Populaire) manned by highly professional multihull sailors with lots of experience, so the starts of the races will be more challenging. We will definitely be trying to keep the trophy in our hands!'

You can follow www.alinghi.com and www.challengejuliusbaer.ch for updates on the upcoming Challenge Julius Baer.

Technical information on the Décision 35

The D35 catamaran is a strict one design concept constructed with materials produced by cutting edge technology; its improved aerodynamics result in a lighter and faster craft. With the distinctive feature of three hulls – the outer two acting as floats and the central hull acting as a strengthening structure – this catamaran is well suited to racing.


The D35 Class was founded in 2004 by Swiss sailors for friendly competition on Swiss lakes.