Team Alinghi arrived home

Picture: Ernesto and Kristy Bertarelli arrive at the Société Nautique de Genève.

150 years ago the sailing challenge 

America

’s Cup was founded. And exactly 150 years later, on last Sunday, I generously got invited by my friend Pierre-Alain to attend the return of the Team Alinghi to the Société Nautique de Genève, the home base of Team Alinghi. The Swiss sailing team won the 32nd America’s Cup in a very close 5:2 victory against the very strong Team New Zealand. Alinghi was the first team to win the cup in its first challenge, it is the only European team to successfully defend the cup and it is the first team since 1851 to bring home the cup to Europe (the cup was in America for over hundred years). The home base of the Swiss Team Alinghi in Geneva together with my friends and me prepared a warm welcome to Ernesto Bertarelli, his wife and the Alinghi crew despite rain and cold weather. With the crew arrived the oldest sport trophy of the world: the America’s Cup.

Find some more pictures here: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/photos/alinghi_geneva_2007/index.html