TUDOR TEAM ALINGHI ANNOUNCE WOMEN AND YOUTH SQUADS
After a strong showing in the Naples Prelim Regatta in September where Tudor Team Alinghi entered the final day in third place before ruing some unforced errors, the Swiss team has stayed in Naples with an eye on the future.
Tudor Team Alinghi / Samo Vidic
In a fan newsletter update, the two-time winners of the America’s Cup (2003 & 2007) stated: Our Women & Youth sailors gathered in Naples for a week with one goal: to sail the AC40 and show their grit. Six days of sailing were planned, but thunderstorms forced the cancellation of one day.
“It was a really successful week,” explains sailor and Women & Youth leader Nathalie Brgger. “We had four days of proper sea breeze, with seven to twelve knots on flat water, perfect conditions for learning. By the end of the week, the sailors were driving together without any help from me and Jann Schüpbach, and the youth team even managed to sail the AC40 without a coach on board. It was a pleasure to work with the squad. They supported the shore crew with boat cleaning, communications and safety, allowing us to maximise our time on the water. We improved day by day, leaving us with clear goals to work on at our next camp in March. We even had time for some team building on the padel court."
Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup
The sailors who have been selected to return to Naples next March to begin training for the Women’s and Youth America’s Cups are as follows and feature some returning faces from Barcelona 2024:
Tudor Team Alinghi Women’s Team: Laurane Mettraux *(SUI, SNG), Jessica Berthoud (SUI, SNG), Milly Boyle (GBR-SUI), Marie Mazuay*, (SUI, SNG), Tine Rossel (SUI).
Tudor Team Alinghi / Samo Vidic
Tudor Team Alinghi Youth Team: Micha De Weck, Arnaud Grange* (SNG), Joshua Richner* (Gstaad Yacht Club), Nilo Schärer (Thunersee Yacht Club), Matthieu Sistek (former Shore Team, Club Nautique de Lutry), Nick Zeltner (Regatta Club Oberhofen, all Suisse).
*Returning team members from Barcelona
The newsletter update continued: Joshua Richner told how quickly everyone felt at home on the AC40 and how clearly each sailor understood their role. For him, being part of Alinghi is a great honour. “So many people know the story. I only have to say ‘Alinghi’, and everyone thinks of the two-time America’s Cup winner. That motivates me and my generation enormously.”
Ian Roman / America's Cup
Laurane Mettraux feels the same way. “There are a few things you want to achieve in life, and sailing with Alinghi is definitely one of them. I’m really looking forward to helping build a strong team, and it already feels great.”
Most teams have left Naples, but Tudor Team Alinghi continues to work from there alongside the French team and GB1.
Ian Roman / America's Cup
BoatOne, our AC75 racing yacht, is undergoing its final modifications at a shipyard in Genoa to comply with the revised rules. In just a few weeks, she will arrive at her new home in Bagnoli, Naples. After a few weeks of commissioning, the team expects to be sailing before the year-end break.
Exciting times ahead. We’ll be back with more news soon!
