August 10 - In a scene that mimicked the famous opening sequence of the 1960 classic Italian film, La Dolce Vita, where a plaster statue of Christ is suspended by cables from a helicopter as it flies past the ruins of an ancient Roman aqueduct, a giant ca
The catamaran, Alinghi 5, took an unusual route when it used a shortcut from Lake Geneva to the warm waters of the Mediterranean; slung under the body of the world's most powerful helicopter, the Soviet-era MI-26 military transporter. The lift was required as the hull is of the latest carbon fibre manufacture and cannot be dismantled.
The 27.5m catamaran took five-and-a-quarter hours to travel 300 km from its Lake Geneva boatyard to Genoa for sea trials. Alinghi, based in Geneva, became the first team from a landlocked country to take part in the Admiral's Cup. The team won on its first attempt at the race in 2000.
