Moving to Dubai?

Just like any sport or other business, the America's Cup is a fertile ground for various rumors and voices. One of these voices has recently reached us and although we never publish them, we'll break the rules once, given its importance.

According to these uncofirmed reports we have received, Alinghi, the America's Cup Defender, is going to set up shop in Dubai from mid November till some time next spring. The Swiss team will use the milder climate of the Arab city in order to train during the winter period. After considering a handful of cities around the world, Alinghi settled for Dubai, a city that is also appearing as a serious candidate to host the 33rd America's Cup.

Always according to these unconfirmed voices, the recent departure of Alinghi's head of marketing and business development was due to internal strifes over the future of the team and the America's Cup in general. Brad Butterworth, Vice President of the America's Cup Defender, is known to be a staunch opponent of the idea the America's Cup should stay in Valencia in case Alinghi won next July. A native New Zealander, Butterworth is said to favor Dubai over Valencia.

In the meantime, Alinghi is busy training in Valencia with SUI-64 and SUI-91 while SUI-75 is the central piece of the team's roadshow in Switzerland, its home country. If the team does actually move to Dubai for a few months, the main issue it would face are its boats. Since they will go for business and not tourism, their tools of trade will certainly have to follow them. The most plausible option is for the team to directly transfer there SUI-75 together with SUI-9X when the latter is finished in the Décision boatyard in Switzerland. This way, the tune up of the brand new boat can be done far away from any indiscrete eyes or cameras.

Click here to see a satellite view of the area in the Dubai Marina that reportedly will be the temporary base of Alinghi this winter. It is next to the premises of the DIMC (Dubai International Marine Club), the city's main yacht club. Its Managing Director Saeed Hareb was, reportedly, in Valencia last week.

Recent helicopter shot of Dubai in the morning. Certainly not one of the prettiest cities of the world, but could the Emirate city also be chosen as the host of the 33rd America's Cup?

Helicopter shot of the Dubai Marina. According to the unconfirmed report we received, the area on the left will house the temporary Alinghi base and is adjacent to the Dubai International Marine Club