Book Captures Sport, Inspires Current Players?

Your Blogster is sitting here with a gorgeous new coffee-table book entitled Alinghi (actually it’s called alinghi, with a small “a,” which just doesn’t seem quite right, somehow) from Favre Publishing. The oversized book details in about 170 pages of magnificent color photographs the prelude, racing and post-race parties in this past year’s America’s Cup. The first few pages consist of a signed essay, by President Ernesto Bertarelli, who continues to spearhead Alinghi’s activities. The essay appears to be translated into English, Spanish, Italian, French and German, one guesses.

The volume gathers memorable photographs from “AC32,” the America’s Cup event held in July where Alinghi convincingly won the Cup once again, this time against New Zealand. This was the 32nd time the event hah been conducted.

The CONTRAST between the most recent lawsuit, letters and missives being fired back and forth between the Swiss and the Americans, and this elegant book couldn’t be sharper or more stark.

- All is joy and wonderment. The America’s Cup boats appear to be very similar in construct (perfect sails, glistening hulls, energetic crews) and competition rules.
- There are lots of smiles, handshakes, beautiful people, serious officials and a lovely sailing venue. And fireworks, rose pedals in the water, excitement galore.
- The weather seems perfect, with sails filled and overall conditions ideal. (Not too many photographers capture those rainy, windless, lonely or endless tacks around the course. People want to think of sailing as both a gentleman’s sport and one unrelated to the vagaries of outdoors.
- The accompanying text, while very minimal, communicates an upbeat, positive image for this sport, one both difficult for the news media to get its long arms around and difficult for the average man-in-the-street to get a sense of, let along understand it. (Sailing, of course, in unlike football, soccer, basketball and baseball because of its notoriously confusing and legalistic rules and its remote and lengthy race courses, well out of view from shore. There are no stadiums, no hot dogs, no beer served, no teams to cheer on, since the players change so often and represent lots of countries, even on the same team, and no officials to argue with. In short, it has high action, but its way out there somewhere on boats one has never actually seen in person, walked aboard or hoisted a sail on.)

President Ernesto Bertarelli introduces this memorable color photo collection and establishes credibility by discussing AC32 lofty terms, including responsibility, competition, organization and the vitality of European sailing and news media coverage (after all, this has been the first time for the America’s Cup events to be conducted in Europe in 150 years).

He notes that the competition was tough, especially since Alinghi didn’t race against it’s Challengers until late in the game and was shipped to Dubai in the winter of 2006 for similar sailing conditions. He summarized the 2007 races as “arguably the most exciting racing ever witnessed in the long history of our sport, with numerous lead changes, dramatic tactics and, at times, unpredictable wind....”

On a positive, upbeat note, he is quoted as saying that going forward, he is confident Alinghi can “build upon the substantial successes already obtained so far.” He hopes to maintain the America’s Cup position as at the “very pinnacle of yacht racing and further develops as a leading, global sports event.”

Sailing Kings: It’s time to rekindle and protect this spirit…whatever it takes. No one will remember or care how it’s done, whether in front of or behind closed doors. They’ll only remember if it doesn’t take place. This isn’t the boardroom or the courtroom, there are no shareholders only stakeholders. It’s real life, ebbing away with everyone seemingly obvious.

Win-win, win-lose, lose-lose off the course: OK, we got it - - Alinghi wants to make the rules and keep the Cup. Larry Ellison and the America’s want another shot. Just “do it,” as the Nike commercial goes. Call, meet face-to-face, teleconference, consider alternatives. What we have here is the dying embers of success - - a hoarding of the trophy and all it represents, and a Challengers with the balls to really challenge. Now it’s time for deadlines, deal-making, olive branches and sledgehammers in order to bang out boat designs and race schedules for 2008 and 2009.

The sport is sailing, for Pete’s sake, not endless rounds of he-said, they-said, we-want, you-want posturing and postulating. PLEASE take a look at this book, and you might be a little taken aback. This is grand racing sport, one that should be conducted out on the water as much and as soon as possible and practical. No one team or group has the right to kill this event.

No one organization deserves to win every time….not any more. Those days died when The New York Yacht Club unbolted the cup from its central lobby. It’s time to find out if it also loosened common sense and compromise.