The America's Cup will arrive at Geneva's Cointrin Airport on Saturday 8 March 2003 at 1pm in a charter plane with the Alinghi team. It will be the first time in 152 years that the world's most famous sporting trophy will be back in Europe.
However, the organisers of the public reception recommend that Alinghi fans do not come to the airport, as capacity is exhausted there due to the motor show in Geneva. The big reception party will take place at 7 pm in La Rotonde in front of the Brunschwick Monument. The Alinghi team will be welcomed there with a spectacular light show and music.
Meanwhile, Russell Coutts commented on the historic victory in the British newspaper "Sport Telegraph": "Of course I had a very good feeling before the fifth race. But it was only after two thirds that I firmly believed the job was done. SUI 64 was faster than ever before. She was flying."
"I was very sure before the Cup final that we would win it. The reason? I believed that our ship would be a little faster. And that was the case. Maybe even faster than I thought."
"But it wasn't just a question of speed. We sailed very well as a team. And I also improved my personal performance a lot. At the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup, I wasn't very impressed with my performance."
It was important that strategist Murray Jones came back on board after breaking his foot - the "captain" is almost irreplaceable. It was also very important that the plan, which had already been laid down in September 2000, only had to be changed minimally. "In Ernesto Bertarelli, I have found a man whose philosophy is completely in line with mine." As a result, it was possible to get a team of 15 different nationalities to work together successfully. "I'm particularly proud of that," says Coutts.
But he also has words of comfort for Dean Barker: "I was already aware of his qualities five years ago. And this time he had a strong team that beat us twice in the match race last year. But he had a very tough job defending the Cup. The odds were stacked against him. The quality of the challengers was probably higher than ever before in the America's Cup."
