Three years later he was back in the San Diego as pitman and a part of the design and mast building team for ESP 42, Rioja de España. In 2000 he was genoa trimmer aboard ESP 47, Bravo España and once again part of the design and mast building team in Auckland.

When Alinghi won the America’s Cup in Auckland he was already dreaming of a new Spanish team for the 32nd America’s Cup. The goal he gave to his team was to qualify for the Semi Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Mission accomplished. Now, with two wins over Emirates Team New Zealand, what is the limit to what they can achieve? We spoke to him on the eve of the Semi Finals.

Following Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13, you said that Alinghi was one step ahead of the strongest challengers. After a month of the Louis Vuitton Cup do you still believe that Alinghi is better than the top challengers?
I think Alinghi is very strong and the other three teams all have weaknesses. We have not seen Alinghi make a single mistake or have any problem since Trapani Louis Vuitton Act 8 where they had a failure with their main sail halyard. This is extremely important in an America’s Cup race. I still see Alinghi with an 80% chance of winning.

What weaknesses do you see in the other teams?
I don’t see any one weakness in particular, but I simply don’t see the strength that we see in Alinghi. However 30 races are a lot and that takes you to a very high level. The big unknown is whether the team that wins the Louis Vuitton Cup, will have increased their level enough after at least 34 races to beat Alinghi.

How much would the ESP 97 you sail today beat the ESP 97 that was sailing earlier this year?
I think by quite a distance. I don’t know. I’m sure that in a boat to boat race, they would take 10 seconds per leg at least. I think in the last few weeks of competition we have really moved up to a very high level. Two Round Robins in a Louis Vuitton Cup are comparable to three or four months working alone.

When do you think Desafío Español’s participation in the America’s Cup will end?
If the project that I am running for the future gets off the ground, I don’t think Desafío Español will ever leave the America’s Cup. As well as doing well in this edition, I would like to think that when I’m old and grey there will still be a Spanish team in the America’s Cup, and feel proud that it was something I started back in 2003.

What format would you choose for the future of the America’s Cup?
I can only choose what I have seen. The Louis Vuitton Acts are a good idea. I think separating the America’s Cup for three years away from just one place makes the event much more interesting on an international level, and in this sense the organisation is impeccable. The format being used now is much more interesting than in the past and I would encourage the organisers to continue along the same path.