01.04.2007 CET
Enthüllung Alinghi
All is revealed on a busy unveiling day at Port America's Cup
Valencia, 01 April, 2007 - Sunday was unveiling day at Port America's
Cup, the morning when all 12 teams had to drop the protective skirts
that had been guarding the underbodies of their race boats. A
traditional Valencian 'mascleta' of fireworks opened the countdown to
unveiling at 09:00. Within half an hour, all the team bases were open to
media and other team members.
With 19 boats unveiling at once, and the updated Port America's Cup
ready to welcome visitors, the day took on a tone of celebration as the
public were invited to the team bases from 11:30, where sailors and
designers from other teams could be seen taking the measure of the
competition. By 16:00, over 40 000 people had passed through the doors
of Port America's Cup.
Although there were no visible breakthrough design innovations on the
scale of the winged keel that Australia II rode to victory in 1983, many
observers were astonished by the range of solutions to the same basic
design question posed by the America's Cup Class Rule.
"Walking around the place, I am surprised that there are so many
configurations around the teams, basically because we thought we'd done
a pretty good job with (closing up) the Rule," said Rolf Vrolijk, the
lead designer of Alinghi. "We thought the boats would all be the same.
But it's not like that and we see clearly that the different design
groups and teams have opted for different directions, and I think that
makes it a bit more interesting."
Among the more visually clear differences were those seen in the size,
shape and configuration of the keel bulbs on different boats. Some
teams, like Emirates Team New Zealand, sported a short, fat bulb on one
boat, and a long, thin, 'cigar' style bulb on the other. Luna Rossa
showed off a radical hull underbody on ITA 94, which was marked by hard
angles, slab sides and a flat bottom.
The 'unveiling' theme also applied to Port America's Cup, where many of
the new entertainment activities, restaurants, bars and cafés opened for
the first time on Sunday. A large turnout of public came to enjoy the
festivities ahead of racing in Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13, which is
scheduled to begin on Tuesday afternoon. A spectacular light show in
Port America's Cup, produced by Endesa, is scheduled to conclude the
festivities on the day at 21:15.
On Monday, the 12 skippers will attend a press conference to give their
views on the upcoming decisive season of the 32nd America's Cup.
Since 1851, the America's Cup has transcended the sport of sailing to
become a symbol of the pursuit of excellence. Offical partners LOUIS
VUITTON, ENDESA, SANTANDER, ALCATEL - LUCENT and the America's Cup share
a heritage rich in passion, innovation and extraordinary achievement.
The 32nd America's Cup enjoys the support of Nespresso, Adecco, Ford, El
Corte Inglés, Estrella Damm, Grupo Leche Pascual, Coca-Cola and
Vodafone.
Racing for the 32nd America's Cup began with a series of Louis Vuitton
Acts in 2004, 2005 and 2006 across Europe. It will end in 2007. Valencia
Louis Vuitton Act 13 - Fleet Racing - (April 3 to 7) precedes the Louis
Vuitton Cup challenger selection series (April 16 - June 12). The winner
will race the Defender, Alinghi, in the 32nd America's Cup Match
beginning June 23, 2007.
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Foto: Vincent Bosch
Foto: Vincent Bosch
Foto: Guido Trombetta
Foto: www.united-internet-team-germany.de
Foto: Stefano Gattini
Foto: Carlo Borlenghi
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