And then there were four

America's Cup skippers look back at the Quarterfinal Repechage

Regarding their four races against Team Dennis Conner OneWorld skipper Peter Gilmour commented: "To be able to beat Stars and Stripes at any time, with the results we had, is testimony to a team that’s going reasonably well. So we’re very satisfied with the outcome and I think the guys did a great job. Reflecting on what the difference might have been I think it’s probably a simple factor – hours out on the water, doing the manoeuvres, the preparation time. I think that’s reflected in what Dennis said."

Regarding the actions being brought against his team, Gilmour added: "Not particularly worried by the legal situation. I’m more disappointed than anything. I’m just very surprised by the New York Yacht Club, Team Dennis Conner and Yacht Club Punta Ala, the Prada team, with their approach here. They clearly have not respected the efforts that we went to last year, in putting the application in front of the arbitration panel and presenting a very detailed and thorough internal investigation.

"What was seen at the time was a lot of very small combinations of small rule infractions that had occurred. We presented in front of them and the arbitration panel ruled, saying there was a significant penalty to be put down and they placed that penalty down. And now these guys are coming back. It’s surprising to me that they’d do it on the eve of when we’d have to race the two of them and I would just like to think inside me that it’s not the sailors."

Dennis Conner would not comment on the action, but confirmed that Team Dennis Conner will remain training in the Gulf until the outcome is resolved.

When asked about the Team Dennis Conner/Prada case against OneWorld David Elwell commented: "Let me preface it by saying that the allegations that are on the table have not been brought through the New York Yacht Club or Team Dennis Conner. These are allegations that have been out there and we along with Yacht Club Punta Ala feel for the benefit of the event that they absolutely need to be cleared up. I hope in many regards that they are cleared up satisfactorily and OneWorld goes on to win the Americas Cup and they can go home with a wonderful feeling that they’ve done a great job and they’ve done it the way the rules state. The fact of the matter is right now those allegations are on the table and we at the New York Yacht Club had no expectation that we were going to be sailing OneWorld.

"It came as a surprise to us, it made the decision very very difficult. But as a club that’s been involved with the Americas Cup for 150 years, we felt these allegations had to be taken to the appropriate tribunal and resolved. I sincerely hope, and I share this with the OneWorld group - I think it would be appropriate for these issues to be laid down on the table and resolved."

Significantly Elwell added that Sean Reeves, the ex-Team New Zealand and OneWorld lawyer who was successfully prosecuted for attempting to sell OneWorld's confidential design information, would be testifying on their behalf.

"We do believe that Sean Reeves will be there to testify," said Elwell. "There have been some efforts to prevent that from happening. I think it will be a disservice to the event as well as to OneWorld for these issues not to be cleared up."

In the America's Cup protocol it says that hearings by the Arbitration panel must be requested in a timely manner, so Elwell was questioned as to why it had been left to such a late stage?

"We waited until i) we had the material in our hands to permit us to evaluate it and ii) we had permission to use that material," Elwell replied. "As soon as we had the permission to use that material we proceeded very quickly. That issue was looked at at the jury and it was confirmed by the jury that it was done in a timely fashion. These allegations have been all over the place but we wouldn’t proceed with them until we had confidence that we were looking at the appropriate material."

Should OneWorld be prosecuted again or was the Arbitration panel's previous ruling against them adequate? Will Conner be back next time? What did you think of the performance of GBR Challenge and what should they do better next time?

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