Please select your home edition
Edition
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Range

2021 is the first all-foiling season for Alinghi

by Alinghi 28 Apr 2021 01:08 AEST
Alinghi © Loris von Siebenthal

With the usual "high-performance team + regatta + multihull + one-design" components, Alinghi will be in "flight" mode on the two circuits chosen for the 2021 season.

Since 2015, this was already the case on the GC32, but now that the Décision 35 has been replaced by the T Foiler 35, our boats' hulls should barely touch the water!

The TF35 hits the piste

The recent development in public health guidelines should now allow for the seven TF35s to officially start the very first championship of this new class of foilers.

From Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May, up to five races per day can be launched in the waters off Nyon for the first event.

Also on the programme this year are four other grand prix, two of which will be in Italy in the autumn and two Lake Geneva classics in June.

No gatherings of more than 15 people will be allowed this weekend, but nevertheless there is still the possibility of watching these flying machines from the shore. And if you do have a boat, please do keep in mind that the TF35s regularly change course to maintain foiling in shifty air.

As for the team, after many days spent training and continuing to gain knowledge of their TF35, Alinghi switched to race mode with an emphasis on the preparation of the start phases and the rounding of the marks.

Nils Frei, trimmer:
Is the team ready to race?
"To be honest, we don't 100% know yet, because in the 30 years we've been racing we've never had a year-long competitive break!

"But we got together for days, or rather weeks of training and I don't think we forgot everything. With the lack of competition, we will be a little rusty in the phases that are difficult to simulate in training, such as the starts with several boats, contact phases, communication on board compared to our competitors. But I think the automatic way in which we know these things inherently will come back quickly."

Nicolas Charbonnier, tactician: "We are aiming for the top of the table on this new circuit, but the TF35 remains a foiler to be tamed, and we will face new, very competitive teams. One of our strengths will be the stability of our team, reinforced by the arrival of a young Swiss sailor, Florian Trüb, who takes his role as replacement sailor very seriously and helps Yves with the electronics and analysis of performance. Obviously we will also seek to win our 8th Bol d'Or, if the public health rules allow it to be held."

A revamped 2021 GC32 Racing Tour

In 2021, Alinghi has also set itself the goal of defending the titles it won in 2019 at the annual GC32 Championship and at the series World Championship. The health situation at the start of the year forced the organisers of the GC32 Racing Tour to postpone the start of the races until the end of June in Portugal, with the conclusion scheduled for November in Spain. The World Championship should, under the current plan, be held in mid-September in the south of Sardinia.

After a blank sporting season in 2020, the whole team is delighted with the prospect of regaining acquaintance with the adrenaline of competition, with, of course, the strictest respect to prevailing public health guidance.

Related Articles

Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo The 37th edition of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup delivered a thrilling second day this Sunday, once again marked by strong winds and the talent of the world's best windsurfers. Posted on 6 Jul
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind. Posted on 6 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 4
One race, one storm, and one big lay day vibe With qualification wrapped and the fleet now split into six groups—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, Purple, and White—Day 4 of the 29er Europeans kicked off with early optimism and an earlier-than-usual launch in pursuit of the morning breeze. Posted on 6 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 1
Full foiling conditions launch the World Championship with four high-intensity races for both fleets The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day. Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal. Posted on 6 Jul
Red Bull Sailing Academy Opens
A new hub for current and future superstars to reach the top of their sport Marina Monfalcone, North Italy, made waves yesterday, as sports superstars gathered to open the Red Bull Sailing Academy, marking the beginning of a new era in the sport. Posted on 6 Jul
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 1
Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever as Pozo delivers 50 knot winds and waves. Posted on 6 Jul
America's Cup: French give the Brits the "Hurry-up
Frustration builds between Cup factions over lack of progress with Protocol. Last weekend's missive from the French America's Cup challenge team is further evidence over the building frustration with progress towards the 2027 America's Cup in Naples. Posted on 6 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
GKSS Match Cup & Nordea Women's Trophy overall
It is the first time the Match Cup Sweden title has been won by a Danish Skipper Denmark's Jeppe Borch/ Team Borch Match Race, and France's Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy crowned the new champions of Marstrand in a day of fierce weather for the final of 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand. Posted on 6 Jul
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERSwitch One DesignRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER