Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2017 Dinghy Show

Simon Daubney on Alinghi- SailJuice.com

by Andy Rice on 11 Jun 2007
Simon Daubney, one of the best trimmers in the America’s Cup, doing what he does best on Alinghi SailJuice.com

Andy Rice is a sailing journalist, who has previously reported on Olympic events, America's Cup Acts and offshore classics like the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and the Volvo Ocean Race. He is currently in Valencia and is posting on www.SailJuice.com

Will boatspeed be enough for Alinghi?

Alinghi’s crew work hasn’t looked all that slick in their informal races against Luna Rossa this past couple of days. By their own admission, the Defenders have not spent as much time as the challengers on race training, preferring instead to focus on testing and development in pursuit of a small speed edge, in the belief that boatspeed will prevail in the America’s Cup.

However, if the Kiwis can keep it tight, then maybe they can negate any Alinghi speed advantage – if indeed there is one. I spoke to Alinghi trimmer Simon Daubney last week. To get the full interview, sign up to my newsletter over at SailingTalk.com.

Below is an excerpt from the interview. Asked how he thought Alinghi was going in comparison to NZL 92, the three-time Cup-winning said this: “Every time this America’s Cup question comes up, I have no idea where we are in relation to the other team. All I do know is we’ve done more testing and they’ve done more racing, not just this year but over the past few years.

“And so if we end up with a speed advantage, that would be attributed to us putting more emphasis on testing than they did. If we end up screwing up our crew work or going around the leeward mark with our spinnaker still up, then maybe we put our emphasis in the wrong place! In the last few weeks we’ve been practising a lot on our crew work and doing our racing, and it’s been tough to watch these guys go out there doing full-on racing, so we’ve been doing our racing.

“Last time Team New Zealand made the mistake of having the boat in the shed doing a lot of development during the last Cup while we were out there sailing a boat that had been in the water for a year. It sounds wishy-washy, but the fact of the matter is that seat-of-the-pants sailing, getting to know the boat, is still a huge part of this.”

Click here to get the rest of the interview…


To read the full story, subscribe to his newsletter on www.SailJuice.com - for news and opinion from the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia

Andy Rice's other website is www.SailingTalk.com - which presents technique tips from the world's greatest sailors
Zhik 2018 Clearance FOOTER1DSailing FooterRS Sailing BOTTOM

Related Articles

Billy Besson & Marie Riou lead France SailGP Team
Marseille event will serve as the league championship Four-time world champion and 2016 Olympian Billy Besson was today announced as the helmsman for the France SailGP Team.
Posted today at 10:25 am GAC Pindar celebrates GAC Panama Office
The Group opens its own company in the country Superyachts and yachts transiting the Panama Canal can now do so with the assurance of the quality service synonymous with GAC, after the Group opened its own company in the country.
Posted today at 7:00 am Nic Douglass reports from Etchells Worlds
Murray takes the first gun Day one of the Etchells World Championship in Brisbane got off to a slow start while competitors waited for the breeze to fill from the south-east.
Posted today at 6:28 am Multi70 Maserati and Rambler 88 take line honours
In the 50th Rolex Middle Sea Race Rambler crossed the finish line of the 2018 Rolex Middle Sea Race at the Royal Malta Yacht Club to take Monohull Line Honours at 02:07:55 CEST on Tuesday 23rd October.
Posted today at 3:50 am Golden Globe Race day 113: Lepage rescue update
Expected to be evacuated from his dismasted yacht today French solo yachtsman Loïc Lepage is expected to be evacuated from his dismasted yacht Laaland shortly after first light on Tuesday (23:30 UTC Monday). By then both the bulk carrier Shiosai and the sailing yacht Alizes II will have reached
Posted today at 2:09 am Attrition and drama rates climb in the 2018 GGR
Attrition rate of 55% is evidence that Mother Nature is in charge While some sailors scoffed at a 'retro race', the 2018 Golden Globe Race's attrition rate of 55% is evidence aplenty that, while modern sailors are clever, the challenges put forth by Mother Nature remain utterly unconvinced of mankind's superiority.
Posted on 22 Oct 50th Rolex Middle Sea Race day 3
The Game is On The third day of the 2018 Rolex Middle Sea Race has seen the course open up. All yachts, still racing, have passed Stromboli and the majority are heading into a steady westerly on the leg from the volcanic island to the north-west corner of Sicily.
Posted on 22 Oct A Class Worlds at Hervey Bay preview
Graced by more sailing glitterati than we have seen in many years As the season in Europe slowly draws to a close on what has been for some, another rather frustrating year of too much/too little wind and with most European class associations are looking towards their final regattas of the year
Posted on 22 Oct Catamarans Cup Leg 1
The first leg of the ninth edition is complete Starting point was set at the marina of Alimos, Greece, and the first destination of the boats was the beautiful island of Kea. The winners of the first leg were presented at the award giving ceremony followed by a fabulous 80's Disco Party.
Posted on 22 Oct 2018 FAST40+ Race Circuit Round 6
Wind deprived finale in the Central Solent The sixth and final round of the 2018 FAST40+ Circuit proved a frustrating one for the sailors involved, but at least served to confirm the pre-eminence of Rán 7 in a competitive fleet.
Posted on 22 Oct
This site and its contents are Copyright © 2018 Sail-World Sail-World Europe and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved. Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph contact the photographer directly.
If you have any questions about advertising or editorial then please contact our team. If you encounter any technical issues then please email techsupport@sail-world.com
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy