9:44 PM Thu 11 Feb 2010 GMT
America's Cup 2010 : Visitors to the Alinghi base got a surprise today when they found themselves eye-to-eye with Sir Richard Branson.
Branson, the thrill-seeking founder of all things Virgin, received a personal guided tour of the base from team president Ernesto Bertarelli. The two bounced across the trampoline of Alinghi 5 and saw the spare rig in the mast tent.
Bertarelli and Branson took visitors to the base by surprise when they walked through the team shop and into the theatre before touring the technical and interactive zone. Suddenly, shoppers turned their attention from team wear to snapping pics for their private albums and Facebook page.
"The America's Cup is one of the greatest sporting spectacles," said Branson, 59, who has built an empire around the brand Virgin. "There are two giants here who will be battling it out over the next few days, and it's tremendous to see the boats; incredible boats. It's great that finally the courts have been put behind them and they're going to have a battle at sea."
Branson's Virgin Group counts around 200 companies in 30 nations, and in 1999 he was awarded a knighthood for his contribution to entrepreneurship. But he's also an avid adventurer who's attempted many water-borne feats.
In the mid-1980s he attempted a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, only to capsize in British waters and be rescued by the RAF. A year later he completed the challenge. Having conquered the Atlantic on water, he then crossed it in a balloon. But, true to his audacious style, it wasn't any balloon. It was the largest hot-air balloon at 2.3 million cubic feet and the first hot-air balloon crossing of the Atlantic.
He continued ballooning throughout the 1990s, joining forces with good friend, the late Steve Fossett in an attempt to circle the globe. Their best attempt came in 1998 when they made it from Morocco to Hawaii before having to ditch in the Pacific Ocean.
In September 1998 he returned to the Atlantic Ocean in an attempt to set the west-to-east trans-Atlantic record aboard the 90ft Speedboat, renamed Virgin Money for the crossing. Less than two and a half days into the trip the crew abandoned the attempt when strong winds and large seas tore the mainsail and damaged the yacht.
"I love sailing, sailing small boats, Hobie Cats," said Branson, his silver lockes rustling in the strong northwesterly wind. "Having said that, we did try to break the Transat record last year with my children. In that occasion we hit big winds and a bad storm and had to limp home."
Bra
nson said that Alinghi 5 appeals to his sense of adventure.
"I've never seen anything like it. It's a magnificent beast. The sail is absolutely breathtaking," said Branson. "I love grand technological achievements, and I love pure sporting achievements. This is pushing technology to the limits."
Branson's success proves he's a quick study, and he didn't miss a beat when asked about the weather conditions that have beset the 33rd America's Cup.
"I think with these kinds of boats the weather's pretty important," Branson said. "Big seas, these very fragile, high-speed boats could break up. I think they're both looking for good winds, but not the kind of big rough seas we've got today."
by Daphne Morgan Barnicoat
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