Alinghi Red Bull Racing Youth Team at the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup – Day 1
by Alinghi Red Bull Racing 17 Sep 11:27 PDT
17-22 September 2024
UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, Race Day 1 – Group A – Alinghi Red Bull Youth Team – 17th September 2024 © Alinghi Red Bull Racing / Samo Vidic
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was thrilled to kick off Day 1 of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup. Racing was delayed due to extremely light winds, but conditions later improved to the upper limits, allowing only two of the four races planned. Technical difficulties with their boat prevented the Swiss crew from participating in the second race, and the remaining races have been postponed until tomorrow morning.
The Youth squad of Alinghi Red Bull Racing had an exhilarating start to the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, facing unpredictable conditions unlike any they had encountered before. Initially light winds ramped up to over 20 knots, which delayed the racing for three hours, allowing only two of the four scheduled races to occur. As they contended with challenging conditions and large swells, the Swiss team secured fifth place in their first race, but a technical issue caused them to withdraw from the second race. The AC40 is a one-design boat; therefore, if technical problems arise outside the team’s control—similar to what the French team experienced—they are awarded four points. The remaining two races from Day 1 are now set for tomorrow morning, Wednesday 18 September, starting at 10:30 AM CET, followed by the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team competing in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals against Ineos Britannia in the afternoon.
Jann Schüpbach, Skipper: “Starting fleet racing today was incredibly exciting, especially given the intense conditions. All boats were pushing hard, and it was very competitive, which made for an exhilarating race. We hope the boat will be ready for tomorrow after today’s technical issues, but as a crew, we are eager to give our best in the morning.”
“We spent quite a long time waiting for the wind. Several times, it felt like the wind was close, only to be delayed again. Once the wind finally came in properly, we started the race a bit behind but managed to stay with the fleet. We were battling for the top three positions for two-thirds of the race. Then it got really challenging—the waves increased rapidly. By the end, we were experiencing winds of up to 15 knots, making it tough sailing.”
Coraline Jonet, Project Manager, Youth & Women’s Teams: “Today marked the first day of racing here in Barcelona. With just one race completed, it’s too early to make a thorough assessment since this is only the start. Today’s race revolved around boat handling, and we made progress against the Kiwis and the British in our race. The finish was very close, yet we secured fifth place. Sadly, in the second race, we were unable to compete due to a technical issue that the America’s Cup technicians could not resolve in time.”
