One of the key members of Alinghi Red Bull Racing has left the Swiss team. A new chapter has dawned for this early companion of Ernesto Bertarelli. A look back at thirty years of commitment at the highest level.
The news of your departure from Alinghi Red Bull Racing came in mid-February. What prompted this decision? The 37th America’s Cup campaign was disappointing and frustrating in many respects. The 38th is shaping up to be very demanding, and it became clear that a renewal of talent was needed to put in place the most successful team possible. The competition now needs different skills, different finesse. Being away from the Cup from 2010 to 2023 also made our comeback more difficult. Let’s not forget that this was our first experience with this format. The technical and sporting benefits of the 37th campaign will, I hope, be reaped in the 38th. My relationship with Alinghi Red Bull Racing ended in December 2024.
Pierre-Yves Jorand and Alinghi also boast seven Bol d’Or victories and thirty years of lake multihull racing. It all began in 1994, the day Ernesto Bertarelli bought Charles Pictet’s Poseidon platform for a symbolic franc. Renamed Red, the trimaran finished the Bol d’Or on its nose due to a botched final gybe in the breeze. It was quite violent. That evening, I said to myself: “It’s double or quits. Either everything stops, or we start something else.” And that’s what happened. Ernesto asked me to steer the construction of the trimaran Jaune, while mobilizing high-performance teams to achieve our goals. We sailed her for five years.
The Jaune is sold in 2000. Now it’s the Black’s turn to leave the DĂ©cision yard. An unbeatable 41-foot catamaran .. . This boat, designed by the Genevan SĂ©bastien Schmidt and the British Jo Richards, was a master stroke, a revolutionary catamaran. It was one of the first multihulls with ballast tanks. It had ladders, outriggers fore and aft, and several mainsails. In short, a complete gearbox. In 2000, it was built in record time and launched four weeks before the Bol d’Or, which we won along with the next three. Then came the Decision 35s. Ernesto decided to put the Black away in favor of a new approach, more focused on one-design and the future. This is how my work also came into its own outside the America’s Cup, in the DĂ©cision 35s, Extreme 40s, GC32s and TF35s, with all of which the historic team has achieved great success.
Also in the early 2000s, your sailmaking skills brought you closer to the America’s Cup for the first time… At the time, I was in charge of high-level regatta projects at North Sails Switzerland. With designer Patrick Mazuay, we were passionate about high technology. It made sense to focus on the America’s Cup. We first worked with Fast 2000, Marc Pajot and Pierre Fehlmann’s challenge. Ernesto then bought Fast 2000’s boat. And SUI 59 became the Swiss team’s training base in SĂšte. The Alinghi Challenge for the 31st AC was born.
What was your role in Auckland?
For 18 months, I was in charge of performance and speed comparisons between the two boats. From the moment Team New Zealand launched its new boat, I was in charge of the spy program. The Kiwis did everything they could to make my life difficult (laughs). It was both risky and fun.
How did you feel about the 2003 campaign?
We had ambitions. The 5-0 victory was a historic feat that nobody could have imagined at the start. As the Louis Vuitton campaign progressed, we felt we were becoming invincible. On a personal level, it was a little more difficult. My mother was ill and passed away during the campaign. This dual reality – the sporting and personal challenges – had a profound effect on the experience.
A magnificent defense in 2007 was followed by a bitter defeat: the DOG Match of 2010. We did indeed experience a superb defense in Valencia, which was undoubtedly the finest edition of the Cup. We then wanted to quickly build another format, present a new protocol, offer a fresh vision for the 33rd edition. But we went too fast. The Americans generated legal opposition. In the end, the sporting, logistical and technical challenge was overshadowed by a sterile legal campaign. We had the impression that, at every stage, we were being thwarted by the New York Court of Justice.
Eighteen years on, the 37th campaign hasn’t generated much enthusiasm for the team either. When you set goals and don’t reach them, you generate disappointment and frustration. It’s the same as in your professional, family or school life. When you manage a sports team, you put yourself in the spotlight for better or for worse. High-level sport exposes weaknesses as much as successes. It’s a form of humility and constant learning.
Does Switzerland really have the talent needed to win the Cup? I’m on the selection committee for the Swiss
Sailing Team and the Ambition Fund of the SociĂ©tĂ© Nautique de GenĂšve. There’s a phenomenal amount of work going on at club, regional and national association level. Their challenge is to structure and support these talented youngsters to enable them to compete with the best teams in the world. Last summer, during the Olympic Games, our results in Marseille were magnificent and show that we’re on the right track. We’re not short of talent, but the culture of sailing is not yet as deeply rooted as that of skiing, for example.
And what are your future plans? I’d like to continue my involvement in the world of sailing and sailmaking, particularly as regards project management and the development of young talent. My expertise in performance management and my technical experience enable me to design and support innovative projects, whether at sea or on our lakes. I also plan to step up my consultancy activity, bringing my strategic vision and know-how to sports teams and companies. Beyond my professional career, I’m also happy to be able to devote more time to my family and take full advantage of my new roles, such as that of grandfather… This allows me to strike a balance between my personal and professional projects.