...and their Army have wonderful knives.

Apropos the America's Cup...

THE FAMOUS YACHT ALINGHI

(c) Steve Freedman
Dec 2002

Oh come all you brave young yachtsmen, who sail the stormy deep
I'll tell to you a secret which you must forever keep,
Concerning that bold sail-i-or, Russell Coutts it is his name
And he sailed the yacht Alinghi; from Switzerland it came.

With Jochen Schümann by his side in Auckland he set sail
All for to win America's cup, he knew he must not fail.
The Gnomes of Zurich backed them, and they pleaded on their knees:
Oh bring us back a box of holes for Emmenthaler cheese!

In Schnackenburg, the Kiwi boat, they had a great tactician
His sails and legal knowledge they did help them on their mission
Th'Alinghi overcame them all, it nearly drove them barmy
Coz they all had knives they'd gotten from the world-renowned Swiss Army.

With army knives about their waists on Kevlar lanyards worn
They set about the Kiwi boat as to the manner born
Removing of her fish-scales and the horses' hooves as well
With their magnifying glasses they did cause her hul9l to swell.

Well the series it was over and the Kiwis had been beaten.
For far too much Swiss choc-o-late by them, it had been eaten
The famous yacht Alinghi, was first into the dock
But they found they'd been and timed the race with a crooked cuckoo clock!

(The 9 is silent, btw.   And the last line does scan, if you put the emphasis on the right syllables).

Full thread here



Steve