A Swiss welcome to the new teams in Barcelona

How to say goodbye to your temporary base in the best possible way? With 250 of your closest competitors of course!

To celebrate the move to the new Alinghi Red Bull Racing base, the Swiss challenger invited the entire 37th America’s Cup family to their (now empty) temporary shed – home to Swiss operations for over a year – for a paella party!

"We've been alone in Barcelona since last summer, so it's great that the other teams are now here and it brings us closer to the competition," said Nils Theuninck, Power Group member. "This evening together was an opportunity to get to know our competitors and pass on any discoveries we have made in Barcelona over the past year.”

While many of the designers and shore crew were reunited with old colleagues and friends from other teams, for the newcomers to the Cup it was a chance to meet new people. "The cyclists are relatively new to the Cup, so there are a lot of Power Group competitors we didn't know. In the end, the Cup is a small world and a big family. We are looking forward to having a padel tournament with the Power Group members from the other teams in the not-too-distant future!”

With a traditional paella as the centrepiece for the gathering, the excitement was palpable. “With the arrival of the other teams, it's becoming real," said mechanical engineer Marie Janicot. "We follow our competitors on social media of course, but now we're running into them in town too. It gets the competitive spirit going as the first regatta approaches. This is beneficial and motivating for us, as we respond to the spirit of competition and always want to be better."

True to its reputation as a party organiser, the Swiss challenger – based in Barcelona since the summer of 2022 – welcomed the four competitors, new to the host city, in style. Once the French team arrives, the family will be complete!