Alinghi 5
Alinghi 5, July 2009
|
|
| Yacht club |
 Société Nautique de Genève
|
|---|---|
| Nation |
 Switzerland
|
| Class | 90ft LWL Deed of Gift vessel |
| Designer(s) | Rolf Vrolijk and Alinghi design team |
| Builder | Alinghi-Décision |
| Launched | 8 July 2009 |
| Owner(s) | Alinghi |
| Racing career | |
| America's Cup | 2010 |
| Specifications | |
| Type | Catamaran |
| Displacement | ~11 tons (without mast) |
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) (LOA), 90 ft (27 m) (LWL) 110 ft (34 m) (WL sailing) |
| Beam | 90 ft (27 m) |
| Sail area | Mainsail: ~6,000 sq ft (560 m2) Headsail: ~4,000 sq ft (370 m2) Gennaker: ~11,800 sq ft (1,100 m2) |
Alinghi 5 is a 90 ft (27 m) (LWL), 90 ft (27 m) beamsloop-rigged catamaran built by Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup.
She was launched on 8 July 2009 when she was lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud by a Mil Mi-26 helicopter and carried to Lake Geneva. She 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 Alinghi 5 was shipped at the end of December 2009 from Ras al Khaimah to Valencia, where she arrived on 5 January 2010.
Designed by Rolf Vrolijk and an Alinghi design team headed by Grant Simmer, Alinghi 5 was built in Villeneuve, Switzerland, by Alinghi-Décision and required more than 100,000 hours of work.
The mast is approximately 62 metres (203 ft) tall(the mast was initially shorter; a taller mast was installed in October 2009). 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, Alinghi 5 covered 20 nautical miles (37 km) to windward and back in 2.5 hours in 8–9-knot (15–17 km/h; 9.2–10.4 mph) winds, so her average velocity made good was 16 knots (30 km/h), about 1.9 times the wind speed.Alinghi 5 sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind she generates is only 5–6 degrees different from when she is racing upwind; that is, Alinghi 5 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.
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