Who does what on Alinghi?

1 BOWMAN

He runs the foredeck, is involved in most manoeuvres during racing, calls the distance to the start line and can be seen climbing out to the spinnaker pole.
» Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyzen (NED)

2 MID-BOWMAN

He backs up the bowman, prepares all sails pre-hoist and is involved in all sail changes, hoists and drops during racing. He is an anticipator.

3 MASTMAN

You’ll find him at the foot of the mast; he hoists sails, lends a hand on the grinders and assists in sail drops. Pre-requisites are strength, agility and speed.

4 PITMAN

This man coordinates the front of the boat. He controls all the halyards and the pole position through a gybe, he and the mastman work very closely.
» Yves Detrey (SUI)
» Josh Belsky (USA)

5-6-9-12 THE GRINDERS

are the crew “power house”. They turn ‘coffee grinders’ that turn winches which bring in the sheets (ropes), which changes the shape of the sails.

7-8-10-11 THE TRIMMERS:

headsail trimmers, mainsail trimmers and spinnaker trimmers. These guys control speed, fine-tuning the sails to the wind speed and direction.

13 RUNNER

This position keeps the mast up and contributes to sail trim. The runner position also lends a hand on the winches, so requires a mixture of strength and endurance, precision and concentration.

14 NAVIGATOR

He deals in facts. He determines the yachts exact position relative to race marks and the competitors and supplies this essential information to the helmsman and the tactician. His tools? A laptop, a laser pointer and an agile mind.

15 TACTICIAN

The ‘man with a plan’. He assesses the weather and the manoeuvres required, based on information coming from the strategist. He says when to tack and gybe, and relies on information from the navigator...plus pure intuition.

16 HELMSMAN

His goal is boat speed. The helm has the subtle task of anticipating all the boat’s movements. He is in constant communication with the trimmers and continuously consults with the tactician and navigator.

17 STRATEGIST

He has the medium and long term view, with an eye on the weather, the crew, the opponent and the course. He must think globally. On board Alinghi, you will spot him working the main sheet traveler or in light air, up the rig looking for the best breeze.