That’s life used to sing Frank Sinatra. You’re riding high in April, shot down in May. Or better said, that’s the America’s Cup. One day you are the defender and two weeks later the future is uncertain. As we reported a few days ago, Alinghi are emptying their base and when we checked this morning, Alinghi 5 had already left. I suppose she was towed to the commercial port in order to be shipped to some unknown destination. Her bowsprit was also on a truck ready for transportation.

Although it is quite understandable for Alinghi to be moving somewhere else, it is puzzling to see the same activity going on at the base of the current Defender, BMW Oracle. There was plenty of activity in their base with a number of containers being taken away. Where to? San Diego, San Francisco or Newport?

Alinghi are emptying their base while the bowsprit of Alinghi 5 is ready to be shipped. Valencia, 25 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi are emptying their base. Valencia, 25 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

BMW Oracle are also emptying their base. Valencia, 25 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

With less than 24 hours left until the hour of truth, Alinghi and BMW Oracle spent a few hours on Sunday, training in very light conditions. Here’s a selection of nice shots from Juerg Kaufmann and Daniel Forster.

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

Alinghi carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

BMW Oracle carries out last training session before the 33rd America’s Cup match. Valencia, 7 February 2010. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann & Daniel Forster / Go4Image

[Source: Alinghi] The 33rd America’s Cup has been a long time coming, but after two years of litigation from the American challenger the Match between two of the world’s most extreme multihulls is just days away.

Ernesto Bertarelli, team president, speaking at the press conference on Friday evening praised his team: “The nice thing is that for the last 10 years I’ve been sailing with the same people and that has been very important to the whole experience. Three campaigns with almost the same group make each day more interesting and more rewarding. The fact that the heart of the team has been the same since the very, very beginning makes this America’s Cup campaign rewarding and I wouldn’t be here today without all the members of the Alinghi team. I’ll be helming but I’ll be sharing the helm with Loïck Peyron. Neither of us would be able to do our job without the other guys onboard and the team ashore.”

Alinghi has designed and built Alinghi 5, a 90ft catamaran on load waterline that spans 110ft overall, with a mast that towers more than 17-storeys above the sailors and settles on a foundation the size of a tennis ball. The boat has taken approximately 100,000-man-hours to build and is deeply rooted in the multihull heritage that Switzerland is so well-known for.

“Designing and building Alinghi 5 has been a huge ask in such a short timeframe, and the guys on the design and shore team have done an extraordinary job in giving us this boat. Our opponent is formidable, BMW Oracle has a very good sailor in James Spithill and their boat is a credit to their design team. I speak for all of us on the sailing team when I say we are looking forward to racing and getting the sport back on the water where it belongs,” said team skipper and four-time America’s Cup winner, Brad Butterworth.

Racing is scheduled to start on Monday, with a first race warning signal at 10:00 – weather permitting – and the team will be watching, as Grant Simmer, design team coordinator describes: “From the design team’s point of view, we are looking forward to Monday. It has been almost two years since we started work on Alinghi 5 and it will be fantastic to finally see her on the starting line. Thanks go to each and every team member.”

5:50pm Alinghi 5 crosses the finish line of the first official training race of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia. With 7 knots of windspeed at the committee boat the Swiss boat is flying at 21 knots. It took them exactly 2:30 hours for a complete Deed-of-Gift upwind/return race. Harold Bennett, Principal Race Officer, the race committee and the race operations team had a very successful test despite the quite difficult conditions.

Alinghi 5 crosses the finish line. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 is flying towards the finish line. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Job well done for Harold Bennett, the race committee and the race operations team. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

5:40pm Alinghi 5 is flying towards the Race Committee boat with the gennaker. It won’t take long before we have the first “official” finish of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia.

5:15pm Alinghi 5 has rounded the top mark and is now vaguely visible, coming downwind towards the finish line. It might take another 30 minutes before they cross the finish line.

4:45pm Alinghi 5 is now 2 miles from the weather mark. They are currently training on a full 20-mile-leg upwind/return race. Start was at 3:20pm and conditions are very shifty and unstable throughout the race course. We have around 4.5 knots at the committee boat.

3:20pm Second start for Alinghi with only 4 knots of breeze.

Second start for Alinghi 5. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Second start for Alinghi 5. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

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2:55pm The starting gun has been fired and Alinghi 5 crosses the start line with just 3.5 knots of breeze. There is, of course, one only boat in this prestart procedure but still it’s an impressive sight.

Alinghi 5 crosses the start line. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 during the prestart procedure. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 during the prestart procedure. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 during the prestart procedure. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

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2:25pm It’s still VERY light, just 1.5 knots at the committee boat. Still, Alinghi will now practice prestarts. Even with such low breeze, these yachts sail… Ernesto Bertarelli is at the helm.

Alinghi ready to start practicing a few prestarts. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

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1:20pm Alinghi 5 came to the Committee boat on tow and hoisted their mainsail and headsail. There is hardly any wind and throughout what could be the race area, there is between 0 and 2 knots of breeze.

Alinghi 5 start hoisting sails. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

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12:30pm We are just drifting with 1.5 knots of wind. BMW Oracle’s USA was sailing at a distance and got up to approximately 500 meters from the committee boat. Apparently they were shooting some promotional video or photos with a helicopter flying a few dozens meters above the yacht.

BMW Oracle’s USA training. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

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11:00am Greetings from sunny Valencia. For once, my live attempts seem to work. This is also a test for the actual 33rd America’s Cup match that starts on Monday. Valencia Sailing will be reporting on today’s training but I don’t know the frequency of updates.

We are currently south of Valencia, approximately 7-8 miles from the port, with nice sunshine, flat seas and 6 knots of breeze.

The Race Operations fleet is getting in place for Wednesday’s training. Valencia, 3 February 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It could very well be just an optical illusion but in a photo of Alinghi 5 returning after Sunday’s training session the mast looks suspiciously longer than 2 weeks ago. Any thoughts?

Alinghi 5 returns from a full day of training. Valencia, 31 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 goes out for her maiden sail in Valencia, venue of the 33rd America’s Cup. Valencia, 31 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

So much for global warming… This is one of the coldest, wettest and windiest winters in Valencia for quite a number of years. The big weather front that came on Saturday afternoon is still affecting the region of Valencia with rain, snow 50-60km north of the city, cold, strong breeze and waves. The situation on Wednesday isn’t as bad as yesterday and, hopefully, the front will move on by Friday, giving the teams the opportunity to spend more precious hours training on the water.

Nevertheless, it is still too dangerous for the shore crews to launch the giant multihulls and venture into the wilderness. As a result, there isn’t much to report today. Alinghi 5 is secured in front of her base and I suppose BMW Oracle’s USA is in a similar situation in the commercial port, with her solid wing being tucked in its shed.

This being Valencia Sailing, I have to give a positive spin about Valencia, so here it is. According to the official 33rd America’s Cup Twitter more than 200 journalists have been accredited for the event so far. I hope by then we get some sunshine, warmer temperatures and lighter breezes so that they have something to report about.

Alinghi 5 waiting for the storm to pass. Valencia, 27 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi’s temporary sail loft has been entirely rebuilt and is now protected by a row of piled up old containers. Valencia, 27 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Malvarosa beach. Valencia, 27 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

If you had to choose one sailing photo that represents the, still young, 21st century would it be one of these two? I’m sure we’ll have tons of much better and spectacular shots in the following 3 weeks, right here in Valencia.

Alinghi 5 close to USA 17 for the first time. Valencia, 21 January 2010. Photo copyright George Johns / Alinghi

Alinghi 5 close to USA 17 for the first time. Valencia, 21 January 2010. Photo copyright George Johns / Alinghi

Alinghi is holding a packed media day today. It is currently ongoing and I will report after its end, at approximately 5pm Valencia time. In the meantime, here’s a bunch of photos of Alinghi 5 undergoing scheduled maintenance. With the 33rd America’s Cup match just a few days away, Alinghi thought there was nothing to hide, almost, and let us wander under their giant catamaran.

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The mast of Alinghi 5. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Alinghi 5 undergoing maintenance. Valencia, 20 January 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing