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AC win good for Swiss image
GENEVA, Switzerland -- Switzerland may be better known for skiing than sailing but Swiss locals are hoping money and technology can bring the coveted America's Cup trophy to the landlocked Alpine country. In the cup's 152-year history, the trophy has never ended up in a country without a coastline but the Swiss have a chance to change that as team Alinghi meets America's Cup holders Team New Zealand in the best-of-nine final starting on February 15. The New Zealand defenders are pinning their hopes on the "Hula," a hull appendage designed to boost speed by increasing the boat's waterline length and volume. Although Alinghi tested an appendage on one of its boats, SUI 75, it said it would continue to race with the winning SUI 64. The hull and mast of SUI 64 was subjected to multiple stress tests by four laboratories of the Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 15 scientists and 20 students, which calculated the effects of wind, waves and water pressure. Patrick Aebischer, president of EPFL, which was Alinghi's official scientific advisor, told Reuters: "Switzerland is in the avant-garde of developing technology like numeric simulation. "It shows we can take on big challenges, beyond the image of tourism and chocolate." EPFL has also contributed to the world's first non-stop round-the-world balloon trip by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard and space flights of Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier. Victory for billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi syndicate would raise the prospect of an America's Cup defence in the Mediterranean or Atlantic next time. Bertarelli said last month that if Alinghi won the trophy he would consider moving sailing's top event to Naples, Barcelona, Palma de Majorca, Lisbon or Saint Tropez. "We have started to think about it. The first criteria is the weather, then the logistics," Bertarelli told reporters on his recent visit. "If we bring the event to Europe it has to be done on the large scale that a great sporting festival deserves." Alec Tournier, club secretary-general of the Yacht Club of Geneva, told Reuters: "If Alinghi wins, it is the club which is the official holder. The question of where to hold the next America's Cup will be settled between the club and syndicate by mutual agreement. "The Deed of Gift [America's Cup rules] requires holding the event at sea or an arm of the sea. It would take years of litigation to change it."
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