Detroit Reporter: Auditioning for Alice in Wonderland?

Of late, the Detroit Free Press ran a purported “news story” regarding the BMW/Oracle vs. Alinghi et al hearing in New York Supreme Court in New York City. There are so many errors in “Reporter” Eric Sharp’s short article, one wonders if he wrote this on the way home from an all-night binge, or just likes to make things up as he goes along.

He attempted to “frame” Larry Ellison’s lawsuit (BMW/Oracle) as a race between giant catamarans or trimarans. Where does he get this stuff, off a cereal box decoder ring?

A few FACTS:

* During the brief hearing (see articles below), the subject of the legitimacy of the Challenger of Record’s “yacht club” status was culled out by the judge as a point for discussion, which lawyers on both sides of the room commented upon.
* So-called Reporter Mr. (Not-So) Sharp comments that, “It’s clear that the Spanish club was set up as Alinghi’s puppet….” Says who? Please provide a name, Mr. Not-So (Sharp). Your Blogster can’t find anyone who has said this anywhere. (Some may think it, but that's not what he "reported.")
* He adds that the Challenger of Record that was selected somehow relates to tourism dollars in Valencia and dollars for Allinghi. It does? Hello: The big dollars go to the DEFENDER. Other major dollars go to the city – every competitor has to eat, sleep and keep their boats going. Just as in any other city. (By the way, Mr. Ernesto Bertarelli of Alinghi fame is SWISS, not SPANISH, and a billionaire who might be a bit hard to “buy” or “sway” with money from a tiny Spanish city well off the beaten path, i.e., a long, long, long drive from the Costa del Sol to the south, and everywhere else, for that matter.)
* He claims that Allighi has already started secretly designing a 90-footer for the next America’s Cup. Where? How? Who? This is big news, but only if it were true, since the Alinghi guys and the Challenger guys are still very much STILL TALKING (a.k.a. arguing) about the displacement, possibly the size and just about everything else about the next America’s Cup yachts. In fact, Allinghi has asked the Challengers to come up with suggestions for displacement parameters of the next yacht, a major concession and NOT a requirement by the Deed of Gift. Skipper Russell Couts (BMW/Oracle) is driving many of these changes himself…. But that’s another story. But, of course, his input is limited, since his team has yet to actually ENTER the race as an official Challenger - - of Record, as previously, or Challenger Racer or ANTHING ELSE, for that matter. “You gotta be in it to win it,” as the NY State Lottery proclaims on a regular basis on US TV.

Mr. Not-So, if he may be called that, also reported the judge would be issuing his ruling in TWO to THREE weeks. Wrong, he clearly stated TWO WEEKS. (What he does, of course, is what he does. No New York judge likes to be held accountable for his own self-imposed schedules or deadlines, no matter how optimistic or unlikely, but at least get one of the basis facts correct, Not-So.)

Not-So “notes,” confidently, without quoting any living soul: “Most sailing experts agree….” Your Blogster has yet to find ANY SAILING EXPERTS that agree on much of ANYTHING regarding most regattas, let alone on much about the America’s Cup. The rest of his article further embarrasses most objective reporters, as well.

Here’s a comment your Blogster believes MOST sailing experts WILL AGREE ON: “Many reporters just don’t do their homework, or rely on only rumor-spreaders with an axe to grind, or just write too fast with too few facts. It’s so sad, especially when others honestly want to know ‘what’s happenin’, so to speak.”

Let’s skip the Detroit Free Press as a source of Cup info, no matter how “Free” the paper has become. The “Truth” takes time to gather and “Facts” to support. This story seemed to have had little of either.

NY Courtroom: The Entire Scene

Earlier this week, a small California yacht club brought suit against the holder - - the two-time Defender - - of the America’s Cup (the “literal” defender: home club Societe Nautique de Geneve, Ernesto Bertarelli, Team Alinghi et al/). That’s their right (it’s America; you can anyone, anytime, for just about anything, including a scalding cup of coffee). This tiny club’s astonishing membership roster, the roster of the sleepy little Golden Gate Yacht Club, the plaintiff, somehow includes a billionaire, who’s the previous America’s Cup Challenger of Record: Larry Ellison of BMW/Oracle fame.

The BMW/Oracle vs. Alinghi hearing proceeded ponderously in one of Manhattan’s grand and intimidating buildings that houses the New York Supreme Court, the state’s lowest court. Atop this building’s massive Greek columns it says: “The Timely Administration of Justice is the finest Pillar of Good Government.” In this lowest of cases, it should say beneath the statement: “No case too small, too meaningless or too petty to drive away all semblance of spectator and fun from the sport.” Or, simply, “Grudges settled, buck stops here.”

The building faces a plaza in which a rather odd, but huge, sheet-metal statue seems to ridicule the goings-on inside the building, since it resembles an upraised hand with its middle finger raised. (Actually it’s something called the “Triumph of the Human Spirit,” a tribute to a New York City African Burial ground, where 427 Africans were excavated.). The statue is SUPPOSED to be two mythical antelopes, locked horns upraised, romping away on a flat-bottomed boat. But that’s a story for another day. Yet it seems apropos, as two goliaths inside the coliseum share the limelight, and sailors outside offer the proverbial finger of tribute to one and all. It’s would almost be funny, if there weren’t so much money at stake.

In this case, the Court issue appears to boil down to the legitimacy of a certain microscopic yacht club (What ARE it’s dues, anyway, and where does one send them?). the gist: “When is a yacht club really a yacht club?” When it’s formed (the moment of conception)? When it hosts a regatta? When it serves it first lunch? When a bunch of boat owners fall down drunk at the bar? Just when? How about when someone says it is, someone pays dues and the check doesn’t bounce or when others join in the fun? How many members does it have to have? Can it also have motorboat members? Social members? A website? A burgee? Parking out front for the commodores?

Your Blogster knows of a New York club with a pool, tennis courts and a full-scale marina filled with boats. Is it MORE of a club than the one down the road that has an empty building for catered parties only, restrooms, no full-time staff, and a couple of slips?

For the America’s Cup and its oldy-moldy Dead of Gift, a yacht club is supposed to hold a major regatta. That’s just about it - - it doesn’t say when, where, how or why. Two Sabots and weighted down Clorox bottles for buoys might qualify nicely. Or two Sabots and one America’s Cup yacht with PHRF ratings of 350 and -10, respectively.

The Alinghi guy’s think the Club Nautico Espanol de Vela (CNEV), a spawn of the Spanish Sailing Federation, qualifies as a club, albeit a new one and was paper-based (don’t all clubs start with reams of paper?), and it certainly “exists” as much as some of the previous Challenger clubs that were accepted in yesteryear by various Defenders.

This is actually the SECOND time an America’s Cup lawsuit has gone to trial. The first time, back in 1989, Dennis Connor’s high-end catamaran went up against a giant J-Boat-like vessel, and David slew the dragon. The rest is history.

The judge neatly sliced through the legal (no so) briefs, targeting three areas for discussion:

* The legitimacy of the Challenger of Record club, certainly as an appropriate “balance of power” of all the Challengers against the Defender
* The seeming “outgrowth” (read “taint”) or birth of this club from Amerca’s Cup 32 (July 2007), the immaculate conception of the Spanish Sailing Federation (which, in part, is responsible for bringing the sailing event to Valencia, Spain - - read, the “money side” of the Business of the America’s Cup match-race, read possible conflict of interest
* The easily verifiable holding and/or scheduling, or lack there of, of a sailing regatta, a particularly difficult thing for a paper-club to pull off, since most yachts require notice and changes in their crowded racing schedules to add a new event to their calendars. An event can be held and no one might show except a few local stalwarts

In any case, Hamish Ross, representing Alinghi, advised Yachting journalist John Rousmaniere afterwards that “with every passing day, Alinghi’s hoped for deadline of July 2009 (for the next match-up) becomes less likely.”

As John summed up: “After about 30 minutes of lively discussion, the judge announced, “There will be a decision shortly.” (read—2 weeks). Out in the lobby, nobody declared victory, but nobody declared defeat, either. Later, the two sides reserved a meeting room at the New York Yacht Club for Tuesday morning.
One of the great things about America is how effectively a little judicial pressure can bring sense and civility to even the most bitter disputes.”

Real Contrast: Cup Sailing vs. The Courtroom

This past weekend your Blogster taught an American Sailing Association course on Coastal Cruising aboard one of Dennis Connor’s 50-foot America’s Cup-type boats called Formula 1’s. (No fools we didn’t sleep aboard, we over-nighted in a local club.) We sailed UP Manhattan's East River, right in front of the United Nations (!), through Hell Gate, and on into Long Island Sound. We managed to hit Hell Gate at slack tide, rather than fight the 3-6 knot tidal currents. We navigated to a local club and later to Stamford, Ct., right into your Blogster's backyard.

The 2 ½ -day class introduced adult students (an NYU professor, an art buyer, a sourcing manager and some financial types) to “life” aboard one of these gorgeous America’s Cup-type boats. All passed the course and became ASA certified, acing the exam the final day of the class.

Formula 1’s draw 10 feet (!), making “cruising them” a bit impractical, since many harbors in the New York area run out of water at about 8 feet. We moored these two scaled-down America’s cup yachts at the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, which also happened to hosting the annual Long Island Sound “Fall Series,” attended by a number of local speedsters. Needless to say, everyone had seen our arrival and had marveled at our sailing skills catching a mooring (Well, maybe not the latter, but we were an impressive sight with our 75-foot masts, fully battened mains, and massive sail plans!).

One J-105 sailor said they had topped out that afternoon at about 11 knots. Aboard the Formula 1’s, we easily topped 14.9 knots in modest breezes, romping quietly over all sailboats in the area, even some motorboats. These flush-deck rockets feature low freeboards, double wheels, and massive winches. They also are no frills down below (OK, it’s empty and rough down there), and feather-touch steering. Students learned grinding, tacking and gybing these powerful rigs. The boats accelerate upwind at speeds approaching planning, and turn with even the slightest motion or twitch of the wheel by the driver. This must be just a FRACTION of the fun (and physical strains) aboard a full-sized America's Cup yacht, from man-handling the main, to dragging up headsails from a dark pit within the bow.

What CONTRAST in a single week: One day happily blasting around the Sound in the fastest boat around. The next, sitting in a claustrophobic courtroom filled with attorneys and TV crews arguing the finer points of history and common law. Sigh. America, what a country!

Which venue carried more “sex appeal?” One guess. (It had hanks, halyards and smiling crews.) Yes, let’s get out of the courtroom and go yachting!

NY Supreme Court: “Is that Being Practical, Guys?”

“Let’s get on with it. We’ve only got two years. Let’s go yachting. We can’t wait much longer,” says Hamish Ross, General Counsel for Alinghi/Ernesto Bertarelli, out on the front steps of the New York Supreme Court in downtown New York City, following the much-anticipated Day in Court.

Forty-five minutes before, he and an army of lawyers in gray suits, packed into a musty, wood-paneled courtroom, and met with Judge Herman Cahn regarding the legal action brought by BMW/Oracle (Golden Gate Yacht Club). AT ISSUE: The selection of the Challenger of Record for America’s Cup 33 in 2009, against Defender Alinghi (Société Nautique de Genève). IN DISPUTE: The validity of the Challenger of Record, Club Náutico Español de Vela, selected shortly after the conclusion of the final match race.

The judge appeared to be the only person smiling in the room. In fact, he seemed most jovial and relaxed, almost to be enjoying himself, as he stressed being “practical” regarding the legal arguments concerning LEGITIMACY of the federation or yacht club status of the current Challenger of Record, a group pulled together for the purpose of organizing and overseeing the next batch of Challengers for the Cup. Absent in the current America’s Cup 33 process? Any U.S. entry, including Larry Ellison’s BMW/Oracle, previous Challenger of Record, and his prickly legal-eagles.

In about two weeks, the judge will issue his ruling, amid his other case-load of trials involving rapists, murderers and local felonies in a city of 10 million. (No wonder he was smiling: This was one of those days, if only a piece of it, where he could preside over affairs involving “legal technicalities” and civil tongues, some of whose owners sported rep ties and discrete pins from various clubs.)

The judge mumbled a reading of the complaint and courtroom attendees strained to hear every word. A man dressed in athletic clothes who was seated in the very last row said he was an avid sailor who happened to be walking by with his son and saw a bunch of sailors and lawyers heading to court. All rushed through airline-type security inside the massive building resembling the U.S. Supreme Sourt in Washington, D.C. Next to him, his son, anticipating great courtroom action, almost immediately fell asleep. It was that sort of 45-minute hearing: Some animated comments by opposing sides, talking about the definition of a yacht club, versus the Deed of Gift’s interpretation and common law practice as rolled out under prescribed Protocol rules for the event. There was, one had to admit, a lot of dead air and empty dialog. The words were all in the massive documents that each side had filed.

“Let’s be practical,” the judge chided the attorneys. “They’re a club. I don’t see what’s so terrible about this. Who’s to say if it’s strong enough or what difference a federation or trust or club makes,” he added, seeming to agree partially with the Alinghi legal team, or not.

The BMW/Oracle legal response noted that the definition’s “so important” because no one should be accused of trying to “steal” the Cup, by setting up a sham Club to control the Challengers, as though this had never been attempted or done before by a U.S.-based yacht club (no names, NY Yacht Club).

On the other hand, the deed clearly defines a club as ANY organization, that’s foreign and licensed, that may challenge for the Cup, countered the Alinghi squad. Previous sailing committees AND the New York Yacht Club have accepted such challenging clubs, with specifics and at least three examples spelled out in massive legal (not so) briefs filed by each side.

Alinghi: We’ve already promised the Challengers that THEY can basically choose the “displacement” (size) of the next America’s Cup yachts, if they are afraid that Alinghi is secretly designing and getting ready to build a new monster boat, before the Challenges have a close look at the specifications. We’ve also made a number of other concessions to the Challengers (a.k.a., Russell Couts, representing BMW/Oracle, as skipper and team senior officer).

“We are happy with the way the hearing went and look forward to a result,” commented Alinghi General Counsel Ross. “The argument is a technical one. It is a straight out legal interpretation of the Deed of Gift.” He said BMW/Oracle was trying hard to shift the legal question to matters of the Deed of Gift or the Protocol.

Both sides stood before news media TV crews both inside and outside the courtroom. Media representatives included cable TV, radio, the Associated Press, and a few (well-dressed) sailing Bloggers (all on good behavior, your Blogster might add).

Both sides claimed to be “pleased” with the outcome, and the treatment they had received in the courtroom.

Question: When they bring in the lawyers, is the sport dying?

Answer: Let’s hope not. There have been massive legal challenges in the past. None seems to have quite “killed” the sport, but none also seems to have “strengthened” it either.

Heard outside during a TV interview of the BMW/Oracle spokesman: Questioned when they and the US would mount a Cup Challenge, since, to day, NOT ONE U.S. team has as yet mounted a formal challenge, his response (oddly): “We’ve already mounted a challenge. This is it.”

Both sides continue a dialog and in some sense appear to want to settle the legal issues “out of court” and in an “appropriate resolution.” One can only hope . . . before this gets too far a field and the next Cup is either postponed…or….

Your Blogster Drives America's Cupper

It’s like no sailing I’d ever done before, sailing aboard America II last week, one of Dennis Connor’s “12 meter” yachts built in the 1980s. Obviously, it’s fast, long, low, can be wet and powerful. Less obvious: It’s also extremely sensitive to tiny changes in steering from one of the two wheels and just a blast to sail. I was sailing with Michael Fortenbaugh, head of the Manhattan Sailing Club and School in New York Harbor as part of the first Classic Sailboat Race around the bay in front of the Statue of Liberty.

It was awesome in speed (we topped 9 knots in modest winds), leaving vintage schooners in the dust. A couple of brand new, custom 76-footers (Wild Horses and White Horses), flying spinnakers, actually beat us across the finish line, but we didn’t really care. Just sailing an an America’s Cup boat is its own reward!

Down below on this America’s Cupper, there’s literally nothing at all. Nothing: No head, no seats, no stove, no bulkheads, no windows, no floor. And it's dark down there. There's nothing, just ribs and ugly industrial stuff. There aren’t even steps to drop down into this “aluminum hell hole” filled with sailbags and loose extra gear. You hop down onto a pipe step, of sorts, to gain access to this private hell. Spending any time down here would be both claustrophobic and irrational.

Most exciting, when you sail these boats, EVERYONE IS YOUR FRIEND: Even those oblivious Staten Island ferry captains, water taxi drivers and other mega yachts. All try to come alongside to wave and go ooh-ah. Photo-op! Kodak Moment! These sailboats sail impressively, with their massive sails and sleek lines. There’s no mistaking their uniqueness. No thinking they might be private yachts. These beasts are a whole different thing.

The enormous “barrel winches” seem like overkill - - giant drums linked to one- or two-man grinding stations, that operate with a smoothness reserved for only the finest mechanisms. Pulling in and easing out the sheets takes some planning and thought, since it involves EVERYONE. You just don’t want to get any of your clothing or fingers into any of these devices. Picture extreme pain, lopped out appendages, lots of blood and screaming….

Right at the dock we identified “safety zones” where you could sit and be relatively safe, away from these massively powerful lines and fittings. For example, the vang on this particular boat is attached to a semi-circular track, onto which a car travels to its own tune. Getting a hand, foot or clothing trapped under this car could prove immediately debilitating!

I hovered around the little pit next to the mast where the halyards end up in little net bags, though I also steered and handled most every other job, now and then. All the while, your heart pumps, your smile lingers, you stand taller and feel like king of the hill and everything else in view.

There actually are THREE of these America II “Challenger” yachts (a.k.a., Stars & Stripes): US-42, US-44 and US-46. This final one was the one that Dennis Connor raced in the Challenger series, then he switched to US-55 and won the Cup in Fremantle, against Australia, in 1987. (Some of the exact history here is imprecise. Further research is necessary before quoting me.) The other two America II’s still sail and are birthed in Greenwich, CT, US-42, and in Maui, Hawaii, US-44, where the public also may also take thrilling sails.

The decks are abrasive non-skid, so it’s pretty easy to get scraped knees if you kneel down. The lifelines don’t continue all the way to the bow, so the last 15 feet or so you’re on your own, balancing on an increasingly narrow, pitching deck if you choose to “go forward,” stand by the headstay,and see around the giant genoa. These boats shout practicality and functionality, not creature comfort, sort of like a stock car versus a regular car you or I might drive on public streets.

Raising the main first involves removing the sail cover, a major operation - - you literally have to climb up onto the boom, well above eye level (no I didn’t volunteer for this), to unzip the thing. Falling off the boom at the dock would get your day off to a lousy start, and maybe involve a trip to the local hospital. Again, most every operation involves group discussion and participation to avoid breaking or tearing sails and ruining expensive gear – not to forget bruising or breaking parts of your body. Carrying the genoa from below and unfolding it involves at least three strong people. The fabric feels like it could repel bullets.

The boat’s forward momentum is impressive. Its turning radius and sensitivity to minor changes just amazing. (You wouldn’t think that one person moving from one side to the other would make that big a different. Change in the boat’s sailing characteristics were actually dramatic, if you did so, though unless everyone hiked out, there wasn’t much difference in healing. The sails are that powerful. It took all hands on the rail to make modest healing corrections.)

Upwind, we literally could steer right at a mark, even if it were directly upwind. The boat could easily “coast” around it with its momentum. Coming about, you could sit a few moments head-to-wind while sails are adjusted (pulled in mostly) before heading out onto the new tack. Doing this in most other boats would mean sitting helplessly in irons the no-sail zone.

The masthead fly (Windex) is way, way up there, mostly superfluous, since the winds up there could prove to be somewhat different that what you were feeling on your face. The gigantic, flat main did show some artificial luff or backwinding, caused by the huge genoa, but it was easily removed with sail adjustments. We didn’t crank on most of the minor sail controls (outhaul, Cunningham, etc.) in this relatively easy race, since we definitely did NOT want to break anything, draining the maintenance budget.

All in all, it was a revealing, humbling sail. Sailing one of the proposed 90-footers in 2009's mastch race is most unimaginable. It’s going to be beyond human experience, at least those of the typical sailor. These guys will have to be tough, focused, STRONG, BRUISERS. Best of luck - - you heard it here first!

Sailor, Businessman, Philanthropist

Few have clue one about the background of the current America’s Cup holder (not Alinghi, the boat, but Ernesto Bertarelli, the Swiss billionaire). He’s actually an avid sailor, businessman, philanthropist and family man. He himself served as navigator aboard Alinghi during his first America’s Cup win in 2003, then as afterguard runner and grinder - - GRINDER (!) - - aboard Alinghi in 2007, when they again won the Cup. (Two cents says he steered now and then, but that’s probably just a guess….)

First, despite his name, Mr. Bertarelli actually spent the bulk of his life in Switzerland. He moved there in 1977 from Rome, his birth city, at the age of 12. A graduate of Babson College, just outside of Boston, he went on to earn a coveted Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School.

In 1966, he was named Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman of Serono, SA, a global biotechnology firm, which he inherited from his father. From 1996 to 2006, revenue skyrocketed from $809 million to $2.8 billion. Sereno had discovered a natural hormone used in the treatment against female infertility. The big payoff came to Mr. Bertarelli in 2006, when he SOLD the company to Merck KGag of Germany for $13.3 billion, which formed a new company called Merck-Serono.

Second, sailor-yachtman Ernesto won some prestigious international sailing competitions before going after the America’s Cup, including the world-class Sardinia Cup in 1998 and the Bol d’Or FIVE times. He also finished third in the grueling Fastnet Race in 1999.

One of the first Alinghi boats was, in fact, his high-performance CATAMARAN, the 12.5 meter Alinghi IV. In it, he won (as a crewmember) the 12m “Worlds,” the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand. From here, he finished FIRST in the FARR 40 WORLDS - - as helmsman - - certainly among sailing's MOST COMPETITIVE REGATTAS.

Your Blogster estimates that few other America’s Cup winner/director/sponsors have had such illustrious sailboat-racing careers. It seems he didn’t just BUY the cup after all!

Just last month, his Team Alinghi finished first in the Challenge Julius Baer, the multihulls’ season championship on Lake Geneva. And he keeps on racing here and there on a grand scale.

Third, in 2000, he founded the Team Alinghi syndicate, representing the Swiss Society Nautique de Geneve club. Three years later, he was to win the Louis Vuitton Cup, the the Challenger elimination matches leading up to the America’s Cup, then went on to win the Cup, beating Team Zealand in Auckland, their home turf.

He won it on his first attempt and brought it back to Europe. He beat ‘em again in 2007, but it was darned close - - a one-second victory in the final match-up, winning 5 of the 7 races. (Your Blogster: If he'd stop hiring some of their best guys, maybe they could win it back, but just about all's fair in love, war and the America's Cup races!)

Fourth, his two America’s Cup victories garnered for him the Knight of the National Order of Merit and the Legion d’Honneur by France’s President Jacques Chirac, and the Cavaliere di Gran Croce by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic.

Fifth, in 1999, Ernesto Bertarelli and his family started a foundation for promoting a better understanding of the cause and cure of infertility. The Foundation FABER, in Lausanne, and the Bertarelli Foundation in Trelex, Switzerland, merged in 2006.

They focus on supporting research and development in the field of MALE and FEMALE infertility, assisted reproduction technologies, andrology, genetics and endocrinology. They also support training, education and international/national information exchanges in these areas via grants. They promote education regarding couples’ infertility and the recognition of the condition as a DISEASE.

In addition, he serves as a director of UBS AG, the global banking empire, and a director of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, having previously served as a member of the PhRMA Board and BIO Board in the United States. He’s also Chairman of Kedge Capital Partners Ltd., an investment management firm specializing in hedge funds and private equity portfolios.

Last but not least, he and his wife have three children, all of whom reside in Switzerland.

Two Class Acts: USA Hosts Alinghi Chief

Without fanfare or public announcement, Ernesto Bertarelli, 42 (!), two-time America’s Cup winner (Alinghi) hopped into his jet this past week and zoomed over to New York and San Francisco to “drop in” on two famous local yacht club venues - - you guessed it - - the New York Yacht Club on Manhattan’s West 44th Street and then the famed St. Francis YC. American-born Ed Baird (Alinghi helmsman and impressive sailor in his own right) joined the parties.

As all sailors know, the New York YC held the America’s Cup in its clutches for 132 years. It was securely housed in a gorgeous glass case (your Blogster saw it there a few years back) virtually in the entranceway of the club, among the stunning scale models of America’s Cup boats of years gone by. The San Francisco club hosted Ernesto, who spoke sans notes for 35 minutes, having sold out the event in 49 minutes. His reception was both upbeat and pleasant.

Anyway, both clubs rolled out the red carpet and, and in one case, lobster and Italian wine, your Blogster has been told, welcoming Mr. Bertarelli seemingly as a long lost relation – with open arms and all the camaraderie and respect that could be garnered from these high-end, global racers. The New York City-based club has already placed a photo of the visit on its web site at http://www.nyyc.org/ .

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Mr. Bertarelli had BROUGHT WITH HIM the ACTUAL America’s Cup for everyone to see (but not touch, without white gloves, and not without permission if its two “body guards”). Needless to say the private dinners at each club were “sold out” and great fun for all. Members lined up outside like it was a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Meadowlands arena in New Jersey.

New York Yacht Club Commodore Charles Townsend hosted an exclusive dinner for about a dozen of yachting’s elite. Startlingly, the Cup was placed more or less in its original place during the visit and, apparently, seemed quite at home (“No hard feelings if we keep it awhile, Ernesto?” someone must have thought to ask…but didn’t.) No insider info available on this confab, sorry.

The next day, Mr. Bertarelli was back at the NYYC in spaces, which they graciously made available (remember, he’s got THE CUP with him), to meet with variety of news media big- and small-fry, while attempting to re-new and expand interest in this august event. Media included radio and print journalists, asking everything from what’s the cup made of, to what did he have for breakfast that morning, it seemed. One "reporter" (Cory Friedman of Sailing Scuttlebutt) pretending to be a public defender, tried to rattle Mr. Bertarelli with convoluted legal questioning, but Defender "defended" himself with credibility and style, it's said.

To one and all, the current cup holder answered with an engaging dignity and the credible humility required of world-record holders, your Blogster has heard.

No TV bothered to show in NYC or in SF. Maybe this visit conflicted with local criminal activity or Hollywood puff pieces from Paris Hilton.

Anyway, what did they serve the Defender while at the New York Yacht Club?

Maine Lobster Salad, Herb Crusted Lamb Boil and Lamb Porterhouse, and Fresh Berries “Napoleon” with Mascarpone Cream and Crème Anglaise. It was all prepared by Executive Chef Antonio Cinicola. They washed it all down with a fitting Montaribaldi Moscato d’Asti (2006). Just thought you’d like to know.

Slaughters: So Many America’s Cub Races

If you look back at America’s Cup races since 1851, you’ll notice that a significant number of these match racing events (more than 20) were totally one-sided affairs. The DEFENDER won ALL of the races; the CHALLENGER didn’t win a single one. None.

How can this be? Were the Challenger boats THAT AWFUL, or were the winning boats so much better?

It could be argued either way, but let’s consider:

There’s a rule of thumb in sporting events that winners tend to get better each round (more confident, rise to higher levels, make things “click” more often) while losers tend to get discouraged or demoralized faster, take bigger chances, go for that long-shot tack, and compete so hard that the team begins making (silly or basic) mistakes or just implodes internally, making failure almost inevitable. (You’ll see them out there: They’re the ones touching mark, by rounding too close, bending the rules a bit hoping no one saw them, tacking and jibing too aggressively, taking unnecessary chances.)
While it’s not IMPOSSIBLE to come back from a series of losses, several things must occur: A shake-up of the team, an investment of money, careful study of one’s competitor(s) and some L U C K. Really looking at their boat sometimes helps: How are sails set? What adjustments are they making and when? Where’s everyone sitting or standing? What are they doing when their boat surges ahead?
But sailing is a little different than other sports. Here’s why:

Sailors, by nature, tend to be VERY INDEPENDENT SORTS. Even on a boat filled with crew, only one person calls the shots, after consulting, or not, with teammates. One person. Very few sports allow this much independent thought and action by an individual. Others frequently intrude.

America’s Cup boats at the highest levels tend to be somewhat similar in speed. In fact, if you took the winning crew off and put them on the losing boat: They might still win, most of the time.

Naturally, racing sailors like winning (which for most comes inconsistently, since there can be only ONE winner in a sailing regatta and a score of ALMOST WINNERS). The great ones earn respect from their crews by calling race strategy correctly, beating other boats and winning races, consistently.

Yet, how is it that these sailing experts seemingly lose all momentum and “throw” so many America’s Cup match races?

For some, their boat designers just didn’t do their jobs: Their boats sail slowly and there isn’t much sailors can do about it. They might be able to “out-think” their competitors, but when it comes to boat-on-boat races, they’ll lose most times.

For others, their practice sessions may have focused on the wrong things, and their team just couldn’t survive the grueling conditions of the racing.

Finally, for some, their boat’s equipment may have failed at a critical moment - - a spinnaker shredds, a halyard breaks, a winch freezes, a line snaps, etc., making winning races less likely.

However, some sailors have successfully OVERCOME some or all of these failings and gone on to win regattas. How’d they do it? Probably by getting great starts, grinding down the competition, passing boat(s) at every mark, and never, ever, every giving up until the final few feet of the final leg. It is absolutely AMAZING how many races are won or lost in the lasts few hundred yards (or feet) of a regatta.

Great sailors have discovered these tricks, which take HEART, SKILL, PERSISTANCE, STAMINA and some LUCK.

(Of course, knowing the racing rules backwards and forwards helps, as well as completing thousands of races in dozens of different types of boats. And pretty much as in any other sports, participation in sailing and racing seminars can’t hurt, and teaching some now and then can pay big dividends.)

Finally, much as anything else in life, the best sailors have made all the mistakes, but they never make them again. Ever. (Or at least they try not to.)

Why do so many America’s Cup yachts score so poorly when push comes to shove on race day? Perhaps some need the equivalent of a “sailing psychiatrist” to help them save the day. Or maybe it’s something else…..?

A Club is a CLUB

Part of the legal battle being waged by Larry Ellison’s BMW/Oracle Racing team regarding the next America’s Cup event concerns the matter of the definition of a yacht club.

By some measures, it’s said to be a group that sponsors major sailing events and appears to offer the many functions of a typical yacht club: Holds meetings, operates a marina for members' boats, sponsors regattas, offers a restaurant...and a some have bars (imagine!) ....

Just moments after the 2007 America’s Cup was awarded to Alinghi, the America’s Cup Management organization is said to have received an immediate application from a so-called yacht club called Nautico Espano de Vela. A few reporters raced to the Internet to obtain more information about the club. It didn’t exist, in the general sense. What was this club and why is this important?

It’s VERY IMPORTANT because the first application received by the Cup organization becomes the Challenger of Record - - with duties to oversee activities of ALL of the other CHALLENGER yacht…potentially a big deal as the Cup rules evolve and disputes arise.

BMW/Oracle, the Cup’s PREVIOUS Challenge of Record, naturally challenged the validity of this new “phantom” club. As it turns out, previous America’s Cup events have had a variety of different “clubs” participate, according to a recent on-line article in Sailing World Magazine, written by Stuart Streuli.

He writes that Alinghi’s legal counsel, Hamish Ross, has named six yacht clubs that challenged for the Cup, and were accepted and raced competitively, despite their lack of performing “traditional” yacht club functions.

Specifically:

* Sun City YC, which sponsored Alan Bond's Australian challenger in 1977, is said to have been formed to create interest in a land development in Perth, Australia.
* Canada's Secret Cove YC, formed just for the Cup, held its first regatta AFTER its Challenge was accepted.
* Japan's Nippon YC, formed just for the Cup, was so lacking in purpose that it was never actually incorporated and imploded after the races!
* The Australian YC, sponsor of Syd Fisher's campaign in 1995, was (what what that club, anyway?).
* The Southern Cross YC, which John Bertrand formed to sponsor the OneAustralia syndicate, and was incorporated AFTER its challenge was accepted;
* The Cortez Sailing Association, conducted meetings in a bar and backed Dennis Conner's challenge in 2000.
* Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Challengers for the Cup in 1987 and 1992, won it in 1995, and defended it successfully in 2000 before losing it in 2003. The Club wasn't incorporated until 2003.

So, when is a club a CLUB when it comes to the America’s Cup events? Probably WHENEVER IT WANTS TO BE ONE. The function of the CLUB is to represent either a city or country in its challenge for the Cup - - not to lay claim to anything else, as GRANDFATHERED BY COMMON LAW into many America’s Cup races.

Winning America's Cup Skippers

Date - - Yacht, Skipper, Country Representing
2009 -- Alinghi, Brad Butterworth, Switzerland.
2007 -- Alinghi, Brad Butterworth, Switzerland.
2003 -- Alinghi, Russell Coutts, Switzerland.
2000 -- NZL-60, Russell Coutts, New Zealand.
1995 -- Black Magic, Russell Coutts, New Zealand.
1992 -- America3, Bill Koch and Buddy Melges, United States.
1988 -- Stars & Stripes, Dennis Conner, United States.
1987 -- Stars & Stripes, Dennis Conner, United States.
1983 -- Australia II, John Bertrand, Australia.
1980 -- Freedom, Dennis Conner, United States.
1977 -- Courageous, Ted Turner, United States.
1974 -- Courageous, Ted Hood, United States.

See this site for a complete list:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/sailing/03/02/cup.winners.ap/index.html