Alinghi 5 flies over the Alps heading for Genova

by Sail-World (JPJ) on 7 Aug 2009
At half past seven in Le Bouveret, photographers and TV crew board the RIBs that will take them close to Alinghi 5, for her first taste of the sea, at Genova, Italy.

Meanwhile the Super Puma helicopter is lifting the mast from its cradle. The mast has been rigged with a small sail and chute so it will fly in alignment with the helicopter. It soon disappears in the valley in direction to the Grand-Saint-Bernard pass which is at an altitude of close to 2500 meters, some 8200 feet. It took close to an hour to reach the pass; the Super Puma flew over the pass itself and soon started to descend towards Italy.

Just after 0830hrs the Russian Mil Mi-26T helicopter took off from Lausanne and then arrived over the lake to pick up the over 100 feet catamaran.

The specialized crew fixed the lines, then Alinghi lifted off from Lake Geneva and turned towards the valley.

It took them 45 minutes to reach the area. Actually the helicopter flies just west of the pass itself and not over the mountain road.

After reaching a peek at probably over 9000 feet the helicopter turns south and starts descending over the Italian side of the pass. They reached a small airport close to Biella where they refueled and also checked Customs.

Then it is another hop towards Genoa.

So good bye Alinghi, you might in fact never come back to sail on our lake.