Alinghi 5
Encyclopedia
The Alinghi 5 is a 90 ft (27.4 m) LWL
, 90 ft (27.4 m) beam sloop
-rigged catamaran
built by Alinghi
for the 33rd America's Cup
.
It was launched on 8 July 2009 being lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud
by a Mil Mi-26
helicopter and carried thereby to Lake Geneva
. It was subsequently carried (again by helicopter) to Genoa
, Italy
. At the end of September 2009, the boat was shipped to Ras al Khaimah, the venue selected by the defender for the 33rd America's Cup. At the end of October 2009, the New York Supreme Court
(the court of first instance) ruled that the venue of Ras al Khaimah was not compliant with the Deed of Gift. After various discussions, Société Nautique de Genève
(SNG—the Defending club) agreed that the venue would be Valencia, Spain
. An appeal by SNG regarding the venue was rejected and the boat was shipped at the end of December 2009 from Ras al Khaimah to Valencia, where it arrived on January 5, 2010.
The mast is approximately 62 meters tall. An engine installed at the back of the boat provides power for the winches.
When sailing upwind, the boat can sail at less than 20 degrees off the apparent wind. During a training run, the boat covered 20 nautical miles (37 km) to windward and back in 2.5 hours in 8–9 knot winds, so its average velocity made good
was 16 knots (31.4 km/h), about 1.9 times wind speed. The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind
it generates is only 5–6 degrees different to that when it is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind. An explanation of this phenomenon
can be found in the article on sailing faster than the wind
.
The design of the yacht was influenced by that of racing catamarans developed for regattas on Lake Geneva
.
Winds were 5–10 knots. The Alinghi reached the windward mark in 1h32, so its velocity made good
was about 13 knots (25.5 km/h), about 1.7 times wind speed. The Alinghi took 69.5 minutes to reach the downwind mark, so its velocity made good downwind was about 17 knots (33.3 km/h), about 2.3 times wind speed.
On February 14, 2010, the Alinghi also lost the second race, and thus the America's Cup, again by a considerable margin, even though it appeared to sail better upwind than on the first day, thanks to a fuller mainsail combined with a smaller jib. The Alinghi was behind by 0:24 at the start, by 0:28 at the windward mark, by 2:44 at the gybe mark, and by over 2 minutes at the finish. Its official finish time was 5:26 behind the winner because the Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having entered the pre-start area too soon.
Winds were 7 to 8 knots (15.7 km/h). The Alinghi reached the windward mark in 59 minutes, so its velocity made good was about 13.2 knots (25.9 km/h), about 1.8 times wind speed. The course was a triangle, so the velocity made good downwind was only 11.1 knots (21.8 km/h), about 1.5 times wind speed. The Alinghi averaged 25.2 knots (49.4 km/h), about 3.4 times the wind speed, on the faster first triangular leg.
Most observers stated that the USA 17s rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.
Waterline length
The Waterline length is a measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water...
, 90 ft (27.4 m) beam sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
-rigged catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
built by Alinghi
Alinghi
Alinghi is the syndicate set up by Ernesto Bertarelli, racing under the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, to challenge for the America's Cup. Bertarelli had raced several smaller yachts named Alinghi previously, but 2003 was his first attempt at the America's Cup...
for the 33rd America's Cup
America's Cup (33rd edition)
The 33rd America's Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing was the subject of extensive court action and litigation, surpassing in acrimony even the controversial 1988 America's Cup...
.
It was launched on 8 July 2009 being lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud
Villeneuve, Vaud
Villeneuve is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle.-Geography:Villeneuve has an area, , of . Of this area, or 26.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 55.2% is forested...
by a Mil Mi-26
Mil Mi-26
The Mil Mi-26 is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter. In service with civilian and military operators, it is the largest and most powerful helicopter ever to have gone into production.-Design and development:...
helicopter and carried thereby to Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. It was subsequently carried (again by helicopter) to Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. At the end of September 2009, the boat was shipped to Ras al Khaimah, the venue selected by the defender for the 33rd America's Cup. At the end of October 2009, the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
(the court of first instance) ruled that the venue of Ras al Khaimah was not compliant with the Deed of Gift. After various discussions, Société Nautique de Genève
Société Nautique de Genève
The Société Nautique de Genève is a yacht club based in Geneva . It was founded in 1872 with the goal of developing nautical sports and high level sailors...
(SNG—the Defending club) agreed that the venue would be Valencia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. An appeal by SNG regarding the venue was rejected and the boat was shipped at the end of December 2009 from Ras al Khaimah to Valencia, where it arrived on January 5, 2010.
The mast is approximately 62 meters tall. An engine installed at the back of the boat provides power for the winches.
When sailing upwind, the boat can sail at less than 20 degrees off the apparent wind. During a training run, the boat covered 20 nautical miles (37 km) to windward and back in 2.5 hours in 8–9 knot winds, so its average velocity made good
Velocity made good
Velocity made good, or "vmg," is a term in sailing, and specifically yacht racing, that refers to the component of a sailboat's velocity that is in the direction of the next mark. The concept is useful in sailing, because a sailboat often cannot, or should not, sail directly to a mark to reach the...
was 16 knots (31.4 km/h), about 1.9 times wind speed. The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind
Apparent wind
Apparent wind is the wind experienced by a moving object.-Definition of apparent wind:The Apparent wind is the wind experienced by an observer in motion and is the relative velocity of the wind in relation to the observer....
it generates is only 5–6 degrees different to that when it is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind. An explanation of this phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
can be found in the article on sailing faster than the wind
Sailing faster than the wind
Devices that are powered by sails can sail faster than the wind. Such devices cannot do this when sailing dead downwind using simple square sails that are set perpendicular to the wind, but they can achieve speeds greater than wind speed by setting sails at an angle to the wind and by using the...
.
The design of the yacht was influenced by that of racing catamarans developed for regattas on Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
.
Racing results
The first race of the 2010 America's Cup took place on February 12, 2010. The Alinghi 5 lost the race to the challenger, USA 17. The Alinghi was ahead by 1:27 at the start, but was behind by 3:21 at the windward mark and by about 10 minutes at the finish. Its official finish time was 15:28 behind the winner because the Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having failed to stay clear at the start.Winds were 5–10 knots. The Alinghi reached the windward mark in 1h32, so its velocity made good
Velocity made good
Velocity made good, or "vmg," is a term in sailing, and specifically yacht racing, that refers to the component of a sailboat's velocity that is in the direction of the next mark. The concept is useful in sailing, because a sailboat often cannot, or should not, sail directly to a mark to reach the...
was about 13 knots (25.5 km/h), about 1.7 times wind speed. The Alinghi took 69.5 minutes to reach the downwind mark, so its velocity made good downwind was about 17 knots (33.3 km/h), about 2.3 times wind speed.
On February 14, 2010, the Alinghi also lost the second race, and thus the America's Cup, again by a considerable margin, even though it appeared to sail better upwind than on the first day, thanks to a fuller mainsail combined with a smaller jib. The Alinghi was behind by 0:24 at the start, by 0:28 at the windward mark, by 2:44 at the gybe mark, and by over 2 minutes at the finish. Its official finish time was 5:26 behind the winner because the Alinghi had to perform a penalty turn, having entered the pre-start area too soon.
Winds were 7 to 8 knots (15.7 km/h). The Alinghi reached the windward mark in 59 minutes, so its velocity made good was about 13.2 knots (25.9 km/h), about 1.8 times wind speed. The course was a triangle, so the velocity made good downwind was only 11.1 knots (21.8 km/h), about 1.5 times wind speed. The Alinghi averaged 25.2 knots (49.4 km/h), about 3.4 times the wind speed, on the faster first triangular leg.
Most observers stated that the USA 17s rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.
Specifications
- Boat Type: Catamaran of carbon composite construction
- Building Details:
- Where Built: Villeneuve, Switzerland, by Alinghi-Décision
- Architects: Rolf Vrolijk and Alinghi design team headed by Grant Simmer
- Consultants: Nigel Irens, Benoît Cabaret, Alain Gautier
- Hours to build: over 100,000
- Dimensions and weights:
- Load Waterline Length: 90 feet (27.4 m) (measured at rest)
- Waterline Length when Sailing: 110 feet (33.5 m)
- Beam: ~83 feet (25.3 m)
- Displacement (weight): ~11 tons (without the mast)
- Mast height: ~62 metres (203.4 ft) (the mast was initially shorter; a taller mast was installed in October 2009)
- Sails (as of August 2009):
- Mainsail: ~6000 square feet (557.4 m²)
- Headsail: ~4000 square feet (371.6 m²)
- GennakerGennakerA gennaker is a sail that was developed around 1990. Used when sailing downwind, it is a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker. It is asymmetric like a genoa, but the gennaker is not attached to the forestay like a jib or genoa. The gennaker is rigged like a spinnaker but the tack is fastened to...
: ~11800 square feet (1,096.3 m²)