Alinghi 5 - Nyon

Close to the castle of Nyon, half way between Geneva and Lausanne, there is a Museum dedicated to Lake Geneva and for a couple of months there is a small exhibition about Alinghi 5. Last week we went to listen to Pierre-Yves Jorand who is Swiss and coach of the sailing team. He got somewhat technical and I won't bore you with the details.

This summer Alinghi got his catamaran on the water on lake Geneva. It was so big I could see it from the office. A few days later, we saw a huge helicopter coming from Russia to pick the boat up and drag it down (over the Alps) to the sea where they tested it for a couple of months. Next month, this 90 foot monster will race against the American monster (Oracle) in Valencia during the America's Cup.

This is a good example of what the swiss are capable of. Switzerland is a mixture of keeping old traditions alive, surprising us on how conservative they can be. And in parallel, they put their mind and money to work and come out with the latest and greatest when it comes down to technology, art, etc.