Sailing: Bertarelli's new broom sweeps Swiss to historic victory

Billionaire's first challenge achieves 5-0 win with Alinghi and returns America's Cup to Europe for first time in more than 150 years

The clean sweep was signified, rather provocatively, by hoisting a black yard-broom at the bow of Switzerland's Alinghi after they crossed the finish line as 5-0 winners of the America's Cup yesterday. The "Auld Mug" is on its way back to Europe for the first time in over 150 years after an eight-year stay at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

It leaves behind a proud nation which has been bruised just as painfully as its Team New Zealand defence heroes were knocked off their feet by one of the best-prepared America's Cup challenges ever seen. The conventional wisdom which says you cannot expect to win the 152-year old trophy at your first attempt was also swept aside just as comprehensively by the pharmaceuticals billionaire who put the syndicate together, Ernesto Bertarelli.

"Switzerland – who would have thought, the America's Cup?" said Bertarelli, the 37-year-old who funded Alinghi to the tune $85m (£55m) and sailed as its navigator. "If we can put it on top of the Matterhorn, we will do that." He seemed to be only half-kidding.

Several European tycoons tried over 15 decades to take back the trophy that the yacht America won by beating a fleet of British schooners around the Isle of Wight in 1851. Bertarelli was the one who finally succeeded, after scooping up the best sailors his money could buy.

With no coastline, the Swiss will have to defend the oldest trophy in international sports elsewhere in Europe, probably somewhere on the Mediterranean or Atlantic.

That's fine with Bertarelli. He is just ecstatic that his team will take home the old silver jug to the Geneva Nautical Society, a yacht club on Lake Geneva. "For me, the fact that Switzerland wins the America's Cup is a sign of hope for a lot of people," Bertarelli said. "It really says to the world that the impossible doesn't exist."

Not that he was given much time to rest on his laurels. Moments after the finish an American, Tom Ehman, was handing to Pierre-Yves Firmanich, commodore of the Geneva Nautical Society, which Bertarelli represents, a challenge for America's Cup XXXII on behalf of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco. That is not likely to be until 2007 and may see a very different structure, including build-up regattas on both sides of the Atlantic. It is likely to see the same formidable team which Bertarelli put together, 15 nations but a Kiwi heart, staying together.

The manner of the defeat of Tom Schnackenberg's TNZ crew has been nothing less than staggering. Everyone expected their rule-busting design innovation of a turbo-charger underwater hull appendage, coupled with extra sail area, to give them a decisive edge.

No one expected they would have to retire from the first race, decks awash, mainsail boom broken, sails flapping out of control. Nor did they expect to see them make history by being the first defender in the history of the Cup to fail to complete two races when their mast came crashing down in the fourth. But they were facing adversity on all fronts as they saw Alinghi's slipper Russell Coutts and his tactical right-arm Brad Butterworth snatch, by a slender seven seconds, a win when TNZ was in front and in clear sight of the finishing line. That was down to a combination of doggedness and guile.

TNZ lost the third race because they fluffed a weather decision just minutes before the start and never recovered. So the final test came yesterday, in stable conditions, of just how fast the boats were in comparison to each other. The decision there, too, went to Alinghi. The Swiss had too much grunt going uphill and were equal to the job going down. That TNZ should have suffered yet another gear breakage – this time it was a spinnaker pole – made little or no difference as they were carrying a spare below.

The champagne arrived moments after the finish, and Alinghi's crew hoisted a banner portraying the America's Cup atop the Matterhorn, with the slogan: "We did it!" They also hoisted a broom to celebrate the sweep. Supporters clanged cowbells and waved Swiss flags.

Coutts lifted the Cup in Viaduct Basin three years to the day after he lifted it last time as he became the skipper with a record 14 wins in the event. Apart from the cow bells being rung by the Swiss supporters, this was a quiet affair. The Kiwis, some of whom have tried to whip up a sustained hate campaign, were not so keen to applaud someone taking their trophy away, especially "a turncoat" New Zealander.

As for British hopes, rekindled after an absence of 16 years by the funding of the GBR Challenge syndicate head, Peter Harrison, much needs to be done. He is saying he would challenge again, but only if he could find commercial partners. What is also needed is stronger management and design teams.

TREASURE CHEST POSSIBLE VENUES FOR SWITZERLAND'S DEFENCE

PORTUGAL

A delegation led by Patrick de Barros believes it has put the little fishing port of Cascais, just north of Lisbon, up with the front-runners to stage the next America's Cup. The Atlantic coast of Portugal can offer fresh, trade-wind conditions which would give spectacular racing. Many Olympic-class regattas have been staged there in the past.

SPAIN

King Juan Carlos, of Spain, is keen that either Barcelona, which could call on substantial European funding, or Majorca, where he competes himself in the Copa del Rey regatta, should be given first consideration. The Alinghi syndicate owner, Ernesto Bertarelli, is also thought to favour a Mediterranean venue.

FRANCE

Alinghi had its training camp in Sète, which has made a powerful presentation. On the other, eastern, side of Marseilles, Bertarelli has close links with La Ciotat, the port where his fleet of eight Maxi One designs is being refurbished. But the whole of the Mediterranean coastline of France suffers from terrible congestion in the summer months as well as light and uncertain wind conditions.

ITALY

As his name suggests, Italy has family connections for Bertarelli. He is a member of the Yacht Club Costa Semrelda at Porto Cervo, but the tiny resort developed by the Aga Khan could not possibly cope with the influx of both syndicates and people. Sicily is too problematic and the politics of holding the event in Naples would be hard to accommodate, as well as being the home of a possible challenger, Vincenzo Onaroto. A substantial pitch has been made by the port of Bari, but a combination of local wind conditions and local business interests could rule that out.