America's Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing are back at the start line again
by Alinghi Red Bull Racing 29 Nov 2023 02:07 NZDT
29 November - 2 December 2023
Alinghi Red Bull Racing © Alinghi Red Bull Racing
It has been just over a month since Alinghi Red Bull Racing first set up their temporary base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in advance of the second America's Cup Preliminary Regatta.
As the first team to arrive at the Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina, the waiting game is now over with fleet races set to begin Thursday at 13h30 local time (11h30 CET) and continuing daily through Saturday.
The sailors and entire support team at Alinghi Red Bull Racing are poised and ready for the final competitive event of the year in Jeddah. Weather is forecast to be consistent throughout the week with high temperatures around 33 degrees C (92 degrees F) and bright sun every day. Sea breezes kick-up on the Red Sea around mid-day. Translation: it's a perfect week for sailing
"We feel ready because we have worked really hard on specific points that we identified in the first pre-regatta," said helmsman Arnaud Psarofaghis. "And there were other things we wanted to test on the AC40, as well. We managed to implement a lot of smaller details which, I hope, will bear fruit for us during racing."
Arnaud Psarofaghis, helmsman: "It's looking at the moment like conditions are going to be light for the regatta, but strong for training in the days before. We should have 8-10 knots for the regatta. These are conditions which are quite pleasant to navigate but more technical because you have to be on top of every detail. The little things can make the difference."
"We really hope to get the most out of this last fleet racing before next summer. Although it's a very different boat than the AC75 we are racing next year, we can enjoy sailing against all competitors and experience a lot of different racing situations."
Bryan Mettraux, trimmer: "We are all very happy to be back in racing mode. We don't have the opportunity to do many regattas so each day of racing that we have is interesting for us and positive for the team. That's what I personally miss the most - the racing."
"I think the racing is going to be very tight! We saw it in Vilanova i la Geltrú, it was very close. We have worked a lot in recent months on our weak points, so we are delighted to see what emerges."
Racing schedule
Thursday, November 30
Fleet Races 1-3 13h30-15h30 local 11h30-13h30 CET
Friday, December 1
Fleet Races 4-6 13h30-15h30 local 11h30-13h30 CET
Saturday, December 2
Fleet Races 7-8 13h30-15h30 local 11h30-13h30 CET
Match Race Final
Prizegiving Ceremony 16h30 local 14h30 CET
More information at alinghiredbullracing.americascup.com