There were no champagne corks popping, instead it was bursts of confetti glittering in the spotlights as the Alinghi Red Bull Racing AC75 BoatOne hit the road to the AC37 America’s Cup.
The hard-working members of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing boat build team in Ecublens each proudly signed the outer wrapping of BoatOne on Monday, as it was prepared for the week-long transport to Barcelona.
The pressure on the boat build team to adhere to quality standards and the timeline was immense. And it was not lost on the builders that it took a total team effort and a special team spirit to achieve that goal.
To keep the positive vibe going, they laughed a lot as stress levels rose. They played music in the yard and had a feeling of togetherness that pushed everyone to give the best of themselves, they said.
“The last week of construction was really intense, but we were all pulling on the same rope together,” said Loic Cattin, HR & Administration. “You put your life aside to get a big project like this finished but it’s worth it. When the boat leaves the yard and lands on the truck, you say to yourself, ‘wow’!”
The wow factor is what many involved in the construction say the boat will have when it’s unveiled to the public no earlier than April 5 this spring.
The boat will arrive in Barcelona and go right to the shed, still covered in its wrapping from the overland transport.
Not much will be visible of the boat, except for the series of signatures on the outside for those who worked so hard in Ecublens these last months and weeks and days to hit the deadline.
More importantly, the signatures will be joined by the names of many of the builders based in Barcelona who will oversee many of the final preparations of BoatOne before the maiden sail.
The AC37 event programme and activities officially start on the 22 August ahead of the final Preliminary Regatta which runs through to the 25 August.
This event will feature the team’s sailing fleet races against one another in their new AC75 designs, the first chance to see the yachts in real action.
The Louis Vuitton Cup, to decide the ultimate Challenger, begins with Round Robin stages from the 29 August.
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