ANOTHER BLOGSTER MAKES UP STORY

Your Blogster has to totally disagree with the spoilsport at the Rule 69 Blog regarding the recent America’s Cup ruling that went against the Alinghi team. (Gee, a European who loses against a US team in a US court. Your Blogster is shocked.)

Anyway, his self-proclaimed “hand-grenade journalism” (Magnus Wheatley) claims that Ernesto Bertarelli has taken the low road on preparing for the next America’s Cup event. (Apparently, hand-granade means totally fabricated, as convenient) He describes them as having “petty euro politics, money-grabbing, self interest and back-biting.” Apparently he doesn’t get out much.

Recall:

The Alinghi guys have won the cup, fairly and square, TWICE. These guys are good, great even, if you really think it through and by any measure. They've won handily in other regattas, as well.

Next, Alinghi and the America’s Cup Management (ACM) organization seem to have honestly tried to keep things moving ahead smartly - - they quickly worked with all of the Challengers (even with the boys at BMW/Oracle) to develop a new, more exciting and faster class of boats, and they decided to hold the regatta SOONER rather than four long years away. Most of the requests from the Challengers were carefully evaluated and honored. What winning team has EVER done this? Of course, they slipped in a lot of favorable items for themselves. And why not? That comes with being the winner -- in ANY sport. The winner makes the rules. Which is why a new winning team feels so GREAT - - they not only beat the Defender, they beat the Defender on his OWN TURF, embarrassing one and all on that team.

The result of all the work sown by Alinghi and ACM? A blossoming of champions: Everyone is salivating to get on with the sailing and the heck with the politics. They are eager to build and race this monster boats. Advertisers, yes, seem to holding back a bit, but advertisers traditionally are careful and analytical. They’re spending gobs of money and want some return on it. Who doesn’t?

Further, at his own expense, Mr. Bertarelli just flew to New York City and met with officers of the New York Yacht Club (as hard as this is to imagine) trying to drum up NEW Challengers, AND out to California to meet with the boys out there. His reception and the general mood of all participants - - who jammed both clubs to see and meet him (and congratulate him openly) - - was a combination of awe, respect, pleasure and fun for ALL. There wasn’t a hint of ANYTHING negative, according to your Blogster’s sources. And he brought along his Skipper, too.

Thus, are we “better off” that BMW/Oracle won their lawsuit, as Mr. Wheatley contends, tossing the paper-club Challenger of Record?

How could this be true? Now, most all of the work for the past six months goes out the window and event managers and coordinators go back to Square One or less.

How can this be positive? Tell me. I’m waiting.

U.S. Judge Settles Suit in Favor of U.S. Club, Hummm

In a decision that roils the international sailing community, Judge Herman Cahn of the New York Supreme Court ruled today, Nov. 27, against the current holder and defender of the America’s Cup trophy, Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG), sponsor of the winning Alinghi sailing yacht. The Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco, sponsor of the challenging yacht BMW-Oracle Racing, filed the suit and claimed that SNG had falsely accepted into the fold a non-yacht club, the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), as Challenger of Record for the next America’s Cup event, to be held as early as 2009.

“We are very pleased by the decision at it enables everyone to focus on getting the Cup back on track quickly,” according to Russell Coutts, three-time winning America’s Cup Skipper and Chief Executive Officer of BMW Oracle Racing, which is sponsored by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club, which filed the suit. “We will be very happy if we can put the last few months behind us and get on with sailing.” His cup victories include successful bids as a hired gun representing the U.S. (Black Magic), New Zealand (Team NZ) and the Swiss (Alinghi).

BMW Oracle becomes the replacement Challenger of Record, tasked with organizing the other seven challengers, against the Defender Alinghi syndicate, headed by Ernesto Bertarelli, a Swiss sailor and former pharmaceuticals magnate. Mr. Coutts indicated he favors a traditional cup match-up in 2009. “We will immediately endeavor to meet with the other challengers to mutually agree to a fair set of rules negotiated with the other teams.”

In the America’s Cup regatta prior to this year’s, America’s Cup 32 in 2003, BMW-Oracle Racing had served as Challenger of Record, a powerful organization charged with organizing the elimination races and events for all of the challenging clubs. A single challenger emerges from these rounds and sails against the cup Defender. The BMW Oracle challenge team was eliminated, to the surprise of many challengers, in early rounds of the challenger competitions.

The current suit is an outgrowth the defeat of the only U.S. team entered in America’s Cup 33, held this past July in Valencia, Spain.

By ruling against the America’s Cup Management (ACM) decision to accept the newly formed CNEV yacht club as Challenger of Record, the judge’s ruling specifically designates BMW Oracle Racing as the new Challenger of Record. As such, BMW Oracle has already indicated it wants the next America’s Cup regatta to be held in 90-foot long mega-catamarans, capable of speeds exceeding 40 knots. Some of these cats are already breaking world records in ocean crossings and cape roundings. (They’ve also racked up some spectacular crashes, disintegrations and delaminations along the way.)

The judge noted in his brief that the new Spanish club did not appear to meet the traditionally accepted definition of a yacht club and did not meet the America’s Cup’s Deed of Gift from the mid-1800s. The CNEV had conducted no regattas, a requirement of the Deed, had no web site and no membership roster or boats, basic features of a typical yacht club.

Ernesto Bertarelli, President of the Alinghi sailing powerhouse, said in a prepared statement: “We are disappointed that a technicality made the CNEV invalid, and we are now are looking forward to discussions with the Golden Gate Yacht Club to keep the America’s Cup functioning.” Bertarelli has already announced that the next America’s Cup was to be conducted in 2009, two years earlier than previous Cup events held every four years, and was to be sailed in a new class of 90-foot yachts, 25 feet longer than today’s America’s Cup sloops. This month, however, the America’s Management Committee had postponed the next event indefinitely until the judge’s ruling settled matters.

He added: Today’s decision against the validity of the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), the Challenger of Record, is a disappointment to the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), AC Management (ACM), Alinghi and the seven entered Challengers affected by the outcome. There will now be a thorough review of the Judge’s decision and an analysis of the various options offered by the Deed of Gift.”

Back in July, the Golden Gate Yacht Club had entered a challenge for America’s Cup 33, the next regatta. The Club noted: “We will endeavor to work with SNG to mutually agree to appropriate terms for the 33rd AC to keep the event exciting and fair for all. Under SNG’s stewardship, the 32nd Cup delivered some of the most hotly-contested racing in recent Cup history, and brought Cup sailing to more people worldwide than ever before. We hope we can build on this for the future and continue the momentum we started here together in Valencia.”
It looks as though they are going to get their chance. Previously, they had complained that the CNEV is a brand new club specifically created for the challenge, thus failing to meet the requirements for a challenging yacht club as defined by the Deed of Gift dating back to 1857.

This is at least the second time a U.S. judge has ruled in favor of a U.S. team against a foreign challenger. Most recently, this occurred in the AC event that pitted U.S. racing catamaran against a giant sloop entered by Alan Bond of Australia.

NY Judge Rules in Favor of BMW Oracle

New York Supreme Court Judge Herman Cahn has ruled against Alinghi and the America's Cup Management Committee, noting that sponsoring club Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) erred in accepting Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) as the Challenger of Record over previous leading challenger, BWM Oracle. CNEV’s acceptance violated the spirit of the 19th century America’s Cup Deed of Gift, the judge wrote in his lengthy and weeks-late decision.

CNEV didn’t fit the mainstream definition of a fully functioning yacht club capable of mounting a Challenge, the judge added. The club had conducted no regattas (one is planned), has no boat-owning members (only directors from an umbrella Spanish yacht club organization) and, no member boats tied up at a local marina. More evil: They have no web site, a rather odd measure of a club’s functionality, but an interesting one he invented - - ya gotta be out in Cyberspace to be a Club. For shame: Most of these problems could have been fixed back in June-July when folks were running around preparing for the event, then holding up the silver mug for all to see. They shoulda hired a webmaster! (And a Blogger, your Blogster might add, hint, hint.)

Enter BMW Oracle Racing as the new Challenger of Record. May the best team win (oh, we’ve already seen this match up - - it wasn’t pretty for the USA, well…..). Now, on with the Cup, be in 90-foot sloops, catamarans. tri’s, dinghies or what? Maybe there’ll be some racing in 2009. Count on it.

Lawyer's Gain, Sailors' Loss

The lawyers win, and we know what that means: The America’s Cup Management organization (ACM) has just announced that the 2009 regatta will be delayed due to ongoing legal activities by a potential Challenger (a.k.a., BMW/Oracle/Larry Ellison). When lawyers win, events come to a grinding halt, possibly indefinitely.

ACM put it best: "During the past months, AC Management (ACM), the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) and the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), in conjunction with the competing Challengers, have worked hand in hand to develop the rules and regulations for an event in 2009. These rules and regulations were agreed by all competitors and supported by the most recent entrants bringing the number of registered syndicates to eight, with an additional two currently filing entry documents."

Their uncertainty has triggered a decision to postpone the 2009 event. ACM describes the current situation as one in which there seems a "lack of viability" for the next event.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the New York Supreme Court judge has not as yet completed his review of the BMW/Oracle-Alinghi court case. He’s had more than enough time (several weeks), but must have more pressing matters before his bench (Between the lines: Almost any other suit, in his mind).

Meanwhile, the ACM deadline of December 15 for the entry of additional Challengers stands. After this date, it’s up to ACM on a case by case basis whether or not to allow further entrants.
Sailors, of course, are used to waiting for races to begin: They do so before the countdown at every regatta, after false starts and wind delays, and for lack of entrants. Pretty soon they’ll each have to take along an attorney to keep the game moving along. Now you’re talkin’ - - maybe this will entice other Challengers from the good ol’ US of A to enter.

Enter Two Challengers; Cats OK by Alinghi

Two more Cup Challengers, having gathered wheelbarrows of money, have tipped their captain’s hats to the America’s Cup Management Committee and officially entered the next America’s Cup regatta - - whenever and whenever it may be held. This seems to take both faith and nerve, one might postulate. One Challenger's from Italy and one’s from Spain, homeport venue for the next event.

The new Challengers:

* Italy’s Mascalzone Latina, sponsored by the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia of Naples, Italy (http://www.mascalzonelatino.it/)

* Spain’s Ayre, sponsored by the Real club Nautico de Demia

As both Alinghi and BMW/Oracle sit on pins and needles awaiting Judge Herman Cahn’s New York Supreme Court ruling regarding the legitimacy of the new Challenger of Record, Hamish Ross, general counsel for Alinghi, has just been interviewed by Yachting as saying that if Alinghi loses the BMW/Oracle’s suit, they’ll be happy to race next year in 90-foot by 90-foot catamarans, as suggested by BMW/Oracle and as unlikely (but spectacular) as that sounds. These cats routinely travel at 40 knots plus.

“We’re both in a holding pattern right now,” Ross summarized. He said that Alinghi et al loses, they have no intention at this point of appealing the ruling.

They’d go ahead and race in the Mediterranean in mega-cats (Your Blogster: For the King Kong Cup, the KKC?), then go on to the America’s Cup event. If Alinghi wins the Court Challenge, they’d then expect a lengthy appeal by BMW/Oracle, prolonging the first races until that’s settled, probably not until 2010 or 2011 (he notes: the World Cup also competes in 2010 for both TV coverage and for advertisers, not a good situation.).

“It costs a lot of money to run these regattas,” he continued. “We want to attract advertisers and put on a good show. If BMW/Oracle wins, we may not be looking at an America’s Cup regatta until 2011.” (Your Blogster adds: If it’s held at all, after all this unpleasantness. Then who’s won?)

AC90 Rule: Not Much Left on the Table

Your Blogster thought he’d take a closer look at the 47-page “Rule” book (AC90 Rule of Oct. 31, 2007), issued by AC Management SA, for the next America’s Cup. (To review see: http://www.americascup.com/multimedia/docs/2007/10/071031-ac90_rule_final.pdf)

The rule is supposed to be creating high performance racing yachts using commercial available materials and technology. It’s be raced by crews who will be physically and technologically challenging, but one’s using only manual controls to handle and trim the sails.

These rules may be amended, but only after January 8, 2008, and by the unanimous approval of the Challengers.

The document specifies lengths, weights and materials for the hulls and sails, including all standing and running rigging. It specifies rules regarding “appendages” and hatches, and a variety of related gear. The Rule also specifies the type of paint that is to be used on the hull. Vinyl film may be applied over the hull paint for the purpose of advertising. The bowsprit may not retract.

Once measured, each yacht receives a measurement certificate from AC Management and must remain in compliance at all times. It is subject to re-inspection.

The hulls will be made of “fibre modulus,” an FRP laminate, a commercially available reinforced polymer matrix composites, with fibres of carbon, glass, aramid and polymer.

There is a whole series of declarations and such from the builder.

In short, the rules appear to be tight and thorough to this layman’s eye.

The measurements are all in metric numbers and the text written in English.

The Rule is intended to be used for several America’s Cup regattas, with modifications in future one’s. Once built, the yachts are expected to be raced in windward-leeward courses, with support craft present, within wind and sea limits “which are not extreme.”

Of course, as practical, the yachts are supposed to raceable out of the port of Vallencia, Spain.

Deadlines & Legalities: Flux, Flux, Fizz, Fizz

Much about the next America’s Cup remains in limbo, neither fish nor fowl....

There’s the court battle between Alinghi and BMW/Oracle concerning the legitimacy of the Challenger or Record for the next event. Yawn. (BMW/Oracle: Enter the danged race and get on with it already.)

There’s the ever-popular speculation regarding the two possible outcomes in the New York Supreme Court battle. On the one hand, BMW/Oracle “wins,” enter Alinghi who may appeal the verdict. Or vice versa. Tick-Tock, the Mouse Ran Up the Clock, as time slinks away embarrassed by it all.

In any case, the next racing may be conducted in huge catamarans, of all things. On the other hand, if Alinghi wins, BMW/Oracle may appeal, canceling this next year’s event entirely, and prolonging the agony for a couple more years, upsetting sailings everywhere.

There are ongoing talks between Alinghi and BMW/Oracle regarding a settlement of their differences out of court. Ha. Ha. Fat chance.

There are ongoing talks/demands by BMW/Oracle regarding the operating Rules for America’s Cup 33 in 2009. (Think cerebral engineers and such arguing minutia and lawyers advising their clients not to back down.)

Of all these ongoing activities, the last one deserves some comment.

Alinghi has said that it has tried to include BMW/Oracle in the ongoing discussions with the Challengers as they hammer out the Rules for the next event. Yet, as one set of demands is met, another set appears from BMW/Oracle’s Russell Coutts et al to keep discussions complex and unending.

At this point the lawyers are a-lawyering (talking at their hourly rates, filing papers at their hourly rates, and pontificating at their hourly rates with the news media), the judge is discussing the case with himself (“On the one hand, on the other hand, oh who really knows! Maybe I’ll flip coin, sort of like in the OJ Simpson cases.”), and the sailors, meanwhile, are dispersed around the globe and racing in a variety of high-end regattas.

The public (that cares, read European, at this point) is mystified, confused and more than a little frustrated as people predict the next America’s Cup, sadly, may not get in the water (i.e., off the ground) for years and years to come.

Instead of the America’s Cup, the next event might soon be called: “ America’s Cup, The Races that Could Have Been Held in 2009, Then in 2010, and Now - - No One Really Gives a Darn…..” Film at 11.

Meanwhile, a couple of new teams appear ready to launch their own Challenges and rush ahead the begin spending upwards of $60 million apiece for the privilege. And Larry Ellison’s BMW/Oracle lease on a piece of the Valencia harbor reserved for the Challengers has expired.

Ain’t life great! Pretty soon somebody's got to agree to something or we'll have the spectre of the Virtual America's Cup played only on PC screens. How fun will that be?

Musings: Call the Coroner

The America’s Cup is dead. Long live the King. End of story…perhaps.

It has been pronounced dead - - in the United States of America - - where the world’s largest number of sailors resides. Not in Switzerland, not in Spain, not Australia, not New Zealand or Lapland. The good ol’ U. S. of A. They’re here. They spent $50 million at the (Sen.) Jacob K, Javits Convention Center during a ONE-WEEK boat show on W. 37th Street in NYC.

Weirdly, they have all lost interest in this superb event (not the sport, just this Clash of the Titans). It’s a fact. Whatever was there isn’t. That life’s been snuffed out, which is more than a little ironic, since the skippers and several of the crew members once lived and learned the difference between processed Dacron and laminate sails.

Kaput. Not breathing. Dead in the water. A lame duck. A dead duck. A ruptured duck, living in suspended animation. Frozen. Without life. Beyond recovery. Killed, squashed, run over, shot, stabbed, choked, maimed, strangled, poisoned, run out of town on a rail, hanged, killed, killed off, thinned, beaten and a sailor’s most dreaded way to go: Drowned. Your worst nightmare. Gonzo.

* * *

Losing something taken for granted for 132 years, since Civil War times, does that to an event, especially one so hard to write about or film, and harder to understand. As a symbol, the America’s Cup in the 19th century captured imaginations. It was the overcoming of yet another stigma of domination by England over her former Colonies. Who were these brash Americans beating All the King’s Men. In the 20th, there was drama and feat. In the 21st? Nothing. No news hook to grab, not story to tell. De nada.

Previously, the U.S. re-winning the Cup, like clockwork, became a poke in the eye every couple of years by upstart American’s, popping a left hook into the gut of their seafaring, salty-dog rivals across the pond. “You may have been a global sea-power, once, but no more in amateur sailing,” American’s gloated in the 19th century. You’ll never win this back. So there.

From Day One, America’s winning of the famed match-race, mano a mano, made the nation’s sailors feel better. They stood prouder at the helm and enjoyed lording over the world’s sailing community. “We’ve got the best, guys, and don’t you forget it.” In today’s parlance: “We bad. We bad”

* * *

But that was then, pre-1987. The upstart Australians took all that away and more. In one stroke of skill and luck, they took away the Cup and torpedoed the global audience sailing had had to that point. Swish. Kaputsky. End of interest.

They’re bored: Network TV coverage virtually stopped, up to this day. European media coverage got a shot in the arm, but for how long? Gone are the massive US audiences that started shrinking and disappearing the day after unbolting of the Cup from its NYC pedestal. A few sailing publications continue the saga, but even they ask, “What’s the p+oint?

As soccer dominates Europe, and football and baseball capture the hearts of Americans, sailing has now taken the proverbial backseat as a professional sport of interest. It’s unbelievable: Winning brings fans, losing and non-participation snuffs interest. It’s that simple.

If you read America’s Cup Skipper John Bertrand’s book about that (unlikely) 1987 event, where Australia eked out a victory by out-sailing unbeatable Dennis Iron-Man Connor, it’s as though he’s writing about a different event. America’s Cup statistics were on the lips of a worldwide audience. The man in the street knew what the odds were. People held their collective breaths awaiting the outcome. Could the mighty U.S. team of machine-like and arrogant professionals be derailed? Could the Blunderers from Down Under out-tack, out-jibe, out-start, out slam-dunk, out chute set, out-strategize those haughty America’s? Never happen, they pronounced, confidently. “You can take all our best skippers and all our best sailors, and we’ll still beat you,” they told each other.

* * *

Today, doesn’t it appear possible, even plausible, that event coverage at one time included live feeds from the Goodyear Blimp, story filings from every wire service, reporting by every TV and radio host worth a lick, wall-to-wall news media from the entire civilized world? Could a U.S. city (Newport, Rhode Island, pop. 26,500, including some of the wealthiest people of the day) be brought to its knees, to a complete stand-still, because of a sailing event? Did school children actually have an opinion about the skippers and boats, including that mysterious (winged) keel? Did the nightly news hang on the every word uttered by a sailor?

You’d never know it now. You’d never know it now.

Sailboats have become just another prop for advertisers, another way to embarrass actors and actresses as they pretending to pull in the mainsheet or let out whatever that rope-thing does. Yachts have become just another way to sell insurance or provide a backdrop for the weatherman.

Today, you can’t even find a cabbie who gives Thought One about this so-called global activity, even fewer so since the big guys went to court. In fact, going to court after a sport is conducted pretty much dooms any sport. Going to court drove the last nail in the pine coffin that’s the America’s Cup. It’s six-feet-under, a-rotting, wormy.

What’s currently being fought over is the Ghost of America’s Cups Past, Ebenezer Scrooge in a dry suit come a-haunting. Not the silver goblet of old. It’s the Zombie Cup, shuffling walking around a shopping center because it’s there, in the words of the walking dead in Dawn of the Living Dead.

Edgar Allen Poe penned it in The Bronx in 1845: “Quoth the raven: Never more.”

* * *

Moving forward, it’s going to take more than a lot of practice races to bring a drinkable elixir of life back into the Cup in this country. It won’t just happen, however. It can be held all right, but no one will come, not without a U.S. Challenger or four or six.

Then, it will take media manipulation and public relations and advertising of the classiest sort to generate a single story in the Paper of Record which carriers All the Stories Fit to Print. Plus the sport needs a global spokesman, a snake-oil salesman with something to hip say. A hipster, a huckster, a tall drink of water, a player.

The sport has to find one, fast, though several quotable heroes would be better. Caricatures of sailors larger than life, that’s what needed, right now to make this sport noteworthy. It will take guys and gals brimming with quotable quotes, pithy remarks showcasing their talents and belittling those of their rivals. They’ll be competing for the day’s headlines with kidnappings, muggings, rapes and easier-to-report stories from police blotters worldwide. The starting gun has fired. It’s time to crash the line on the side nearest the first mark. It’s time to remove sail twist and flatten the draft, grind in the genny and climb out on the toerail.

It’ll take unusual sailboats, with secrets and intrigue gradually revealed. Sails made from reprocessed Challengers. Sheets of Olympic athlete’s bulging muscles processed through a blender. Make no mistake, it’s going to take carefully crafted guts and glory and glamour. It’ll take a Paris Hilton, a Presidential Contender, a Michael Jackson, a David Beckham. Someone larger than life. A Ted Turner wannabe. And it’ll take money promoting special events. Giveaway’s and T-shirts. But when to begin this pilgrimage, this kowtowing to the U.S. news media? Today, right now. It’s almost too late. Man your pencils and telephones, begin promoting this stellar event. In a few familiar words: On your mark, get set, GO.

This event is dead otherwise. Long live the King. Not.

* * *

It’s going to take a lot more than a sailing event to wake up the world’s news media. It’s going to take sex, drugs and rock-and-roll. Or the equivalent. Something worth writing about, endlessly, speculating about, interviewing someone about, something worth photographing and filming. In short, a world-class event, carefully packaged and promoted to the stars.

Your competitors? Not other Challengers, but soap, toothpaste, woman’s hygiene products and pharmaceuticals: All advertised products and services challenging for their 15 minutes of fame in the daily news. But they come first, since they’re potential and existing advertising. Global sailors and sailing events? They’re just another high-school team whose swimmers and marching bands swim and play for their parents. No one else really cares and that’s the way the world’s press is playing it.

It’s going to take not one, not two, but no less than FIVE Challengers from the U.S. to get this moribund event back in the editor’s queue. It’s might also take a miracle. Fast, faster than fast. And controversy, sex appeal, monied personalities. The vision thing.

Like Jesse Jackson visiting a Navy ship. Jane Fonda calling on Ross Perot. Dog biting man. NEWS. Something worth remarking about, buying a paper for.

News. News coverage. Millions and millions and millions of viewers (and dollars) paying homage. Sorry, it doesn’t just happen. It takes carefully crafted strategy, every bit as complex as the hull displacement and the length of the J from stem to mast.

Without these, dust off the dirge and order a marble tombstones…this event’s dead on arrival.

Cup Star: Gracious Yachtsman of the Year

Let’s listen to American Ed Baird, Alinghi’s winning skipper, in this year’s America’s Cup.

"The America's Cup was by far the most difficult event to win. It was also the most exciting. I'm lucky that there have been many special moments in my career, but it's also been great to see all three of my sons sail their first regattas and start to enjoy the sport."

He made these comments at the awards dinner after having been selected as International Sailing Federation’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year for 2007.

This is the second time the award has gone to an American. The first? Paige Railey, in the Woman’s category. Claire Leroy of France was named this year’s Female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Here’s a single paragraph quoted from Sail Magazine’s web site that summarizes the ENTIRE America’s Cup Races this past July:

“The first match went to Alinghi but with ETNZ picking up the next two, Alinghi dug deep to win three on the bounce bringing the score to four-two and needing just one more win. The seventh, potentially deciding, match was another nail biter. ETNZ spent much of the race ahead but never quite gained a solid advantage. With just a few metres separating the two as they approached the final upwind mark, the crucial position of Alinghi and a perfect dial down from BAIRD forced Emirates Team New Zealand to concede a penalty. It looked like Alinghi had secured the win but an enormous wind shift put the finish line upwind leaving ETNZ able to lay it and Alinghi struggling to drop their spinnaker. Down on speed as they completed their penalty, ETNZ could only watch as BAIRD steered Alinghi across the line just one second ahead and winning the America’s Cup.” For more information: http://sailmag.com/BairdWorldSailor/

(Your Blogster doesn’t mind copying this copyrighted materials here, since Sail Magazine attributed this incredible writing to a “KL,” who also compiled it from somewhere….)

He learned sailing the right way: Winning first in Optimist Dinghies, the Lasers, J-24’s, Maxis and 50 footers. Then he moved on to around-the-world racing!!!!!

Hear, hear for Ed! Long live The King!

News of Desafio Espanol

Sailing master (his trophy case probably takes up his entire living room) Paul Cayard has moved to Valencia, Spain, as sports Director of Desafio Espanol. From here, he’s pulling together another Cup Challenger. One recalls he’s sailed on a number of previous Challenger boats, including on both American and Italian Challenger teams and, of course, for BMW/Oracle itself at one point. He seems such a jolly fellow—who wouldn’t want to sail with him?

But first, the news: The super-fast guys at Farr Yacht Design have been selected as the main design team for Desafio Espanol. They don’t come up with too many slow boats to China. Just racing juggernaughts (think Farr 40….). Let’s see what they come up with.

They revealed in a Sail-World article that the new class of boat will be both more demanding (understatement) and will require bigger, stronger crews (another understatement). Picture: 12 people grinding most of the time on six pedestals - - eek. Maybe the NFL has a team to spare?

Training will be rigorous, he projects confidently, and has already begun, with both aerobic and strength training (some spinach, too?). They’re using an America’s Cup yacht from the last event and two Swedish Match 40s they recently bought. (One hopes they remember these boats are HALF the size of the new 90-footers to come, if 40 means feet.)

And they’ve already hired about 70 per cent of their crew, but they’re “off” until February; off weight-training, one assumes. Maybe World Wrestling Entertainment has a few muscle-men to spare? Preferably one who wears that preposterous gold belt of the champions.

He neatly summed up the current situation: If the court ruling favors Alinghi, the Challengers have little time to waste. The starting gun has already fired. If it’s BMW/Oracle, then the next battle may be in catamarans somewhere in the Bearing Sea. Cats? That should prove something to see, since these monster cats can travel at 40 knots and pull water-skiers as well! Stay tuned….

Of course, the fact that Mr. Cayard along with BMW/Oracle Russell Coutts have just formed the World Sailing League ($2 million prize), which just happens to be using 70-foot catamarans, is just a COINCIDENCE…not.

Catching Up on Some Loose Ends (Background)

Back in July, the six Challengers had “team signed,” that is, they signed and sent the same exact letter to Societe Nautique de Genevo (SNG - - Alinghi) complaining that the newly formed Club Nautico Espanol de Vela (CNEW), now the Challenger of Record, was selected based on only one vague paragraph of the ancient Deed of Gift - - that famous “mutual consent” clause.

Doing so, they claimed, reduced the value of the new boats, made budgeting impossible, harms the competitive position of the Challengers, and changes the nature of the competition, among other things.

They wanted a “more balanced and fair procedure” for the Challenger of Record selection (that is, they wanted BMW/Oracle, or at least, not some new club selected by Alinghi).

These letters became part of the legal challenge in New York regarding the legitimacy of the Challenger of Record club.

Subsequently, the Golden Gate Yacht Club has issued a new release welcoming the prospect of a speedy court ruling to resolve the issues surrounding the next Protocal governing the event in 2009.

Tom Ehman of BMW/Oracle said the American Team had presented a strong case that the Club Nautico Espanol de Vela (CNEV) was invalid and the new Potocol unfairly advantaged the Defender. In the same breath (let’s see if they lose what he’ll say) he noted that Justice Herman Cahn “understands the issues.”

A few weeks later, the Golden Gate Yacht Club said it would agree to comprehensive new compromises, to get the Cup event back on track, if the Defender will disclose its Rule for the boat’s design. (This was on Oct. 25, 2007.) Ok, boys, the Rule has been issued. It’s time to put in your Challenge? This is normal practice, to reveal the Rule to all potential competitors well in advance of the event.

Yet, on Nov. 1, after the new Rule had been issued, the Golden Gaters still dither: They now want to compare today’s Rule with the original skeletal outline issued previously, so all competitors start on a level field.

Midnight Madness: Designers, Grab Pencils

It’s official. Whew. The America’s Management Chief Michel Hodara has released the full version of the 2009 rule for America’s Cup 33 to Cup Challengers, as well as to the public (read: BMW/Oracle, Mascalzone Latino and Victory Challenge - - previous major Challengers who have not, as yet, officially entered the AC33 event and, going forward, would have been at a distinct disadvantage without this design document).

The organization met its announced deadline of Oct. 31. They waited until nearly midnight to release the public copy, causing many a designer to bite his/her nails. This Midnight Madness caught some media guys napping (it doesn’t really take much, now, does it?). The document seems to meet all design criteria documentation - - it’s dry as dust and full of European (metric) measurements and weights, with no attempt to translate for metric-dumb Americans (and the two tiny countries in Africa that still don’t use the metric system, that’s Nigeria, and I forget the other, and they don’t sail for the cup, anyway).

It also spells out the sheer ENORMITY of these future boats/yachts/monsters. More on the document later. The three non-Challengers this year might have been further marginalized had a public copy not been made available. (BMW/Oracle’s excuse is they are awaiting the New York Supreme Court’s ruling regarding their suit about the validity of the Challenger of Record, the so-called hand-maiden/Golden Boy, not Golden Gate Yacht Club, of Alinghi et al.)

With the design rule announced, no more excuses, guys. You’ve got it, so build it and get on with the show. Even BMW/Oracle got it’s back-door licks in via requests from Russell Coutts, it’s said, with confidence. Hanging fire in all this are key design parameters, including yacht width requirements, greatly affecting boat speed at boats this length and huge draft. Time will tell.

Defender/Challengers Hammer Out Class Rule

One of the critical “jabs” being taken at the America’s Cup Defender, Ernesto Bertarelli/Alinghi et al, involves the involvement of the involved Challengers, at least those who have signed up.

Are they really involved, to repeat, to repeat? Has the Challenger of Record managed to pull together the team of Challengers as "an effective resource" when addressing such basic issues as the TYPE OF BOAT and its design?

This week, we got a hint: Designers from the SIX Challengers announced they have been meeting “regularly” with the Defender, ever since the next yacht’s design process began on September 15. The result?

A new “Class Rule” for the 2009 America’s Cup event has been pulled together out of this process. It's been printed and handed out only to them so far.

Here’s how Juan Kouyoumdjian, principle designer for the British Challenger, TEAMORIGIN, puts it: “This has been an efficient and productive process, and the boat itself will be spectacular: Challenging to design, to sail and to race.”

Obviously, no one is paying him to say this. His team got its licks in, so to speak, and seems pleased. He had the option of saying nothing.

Ditto for John Cutler, technical director for Challenger Desafio Espanol: “We are happy with the process…hard work…for the teams…Challengers…Defender…lots of changes… The boat will be exciting to sail, a challenge to design and also a challenge for the crew to master. It will provide exciting racing.” Another believer in the process Alinghi has set up!

Absent from the process: The previous Challenger of Record, BMW/Oracle, though they have made a number of requests through their master skipper extraordinaire, Russell Couts.

The actual "Class Rule," which captures the recommendations into one document, has only been made available, so far, to the Defender and Challengers, not to the public (i.e., BMW/Oracle), pending the outcome of BMW/Oracle’s court case in New York Supreme Court, which could change things significantly. (The case involves the legitimacy, among other things, of the Challenger of Record's "club status.")

America's Cup Guru Tom Schnackenberg, the Class Rule and Competition Regulations Consultant for the America’s Cup Management organization, heads up the design consultation process. He noted: “The process has been an invigorating one with the Challengers helping enormously in making improvements to the rule. It is amazing how inventive people are in this environment, bouncing ideas off each other. These past six weeks have been a very enjoyable experience.”

To sum up:

* One can’t honestly claim that Alinghi is ramming down the throats of the Challengers it’s views on the next Cup event. Yes, they’ve established a 90-foot yacht - - one fast and big as hell - - as the vessel of choice (as BMW/Oracle continues speaking about some giant catamarans they’d like to race before the main event). And why not? Bigger is Better in yacht racing and just about everything else. If the winner wants a bigger boat, well, why not?
* The Challengers don’t seem to be complaining, especially since they may NEVER have been asked their opinions on the next boat’s design before.
* Once they’ve had their say, they then can’t complain they were railroaded into the event.

Let’s all sing “Cumbiya, My Love.”