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Readers write in regarding the present America's Cup fiasco

Following on from ACM's decision to postpone the 33rd America's Cup we have received considerable correspondence over the latest stage of this fiasco... N B: We will be adding to this article as feedback comes in - so please feel free to revisit!

Conspiracy theorist and former GBR Challenge skipper Ian Walker writes:

Isn’t it ironic that the America’s Cup might be held in multihulls just as the multihulls are discarded from the Olympics!

Ed: so there is justice in this world....

From the US, George Kriese writes:

The America's Cup is loosing it's appeal as an event. When I was a kid I had a picture of Intrepid on the wall in my bedroom but I can't relate anymore, and I've actually sailed on a couple old AC boats. Why should an adult club racer who pays for his or her own sailing or a junior care about what some professional sailors and billionaires do?

For AC 32 I was a part of the small TV audience in the U.S. because I enjoyed the racing, but I wasn't pulling for any particular team and that's a problem. Visually they all look about the same; skinny black boats with sponsor names plastered everywhere crewed by professional sailors from different countries in garish looking outfits. So what would I like to see?

1) 90ft one design mono hulls to control the costs and encourage more campaigns. Sole source hulls, foils, rigs & have sail limitations like the Farr 40 class. The R&D costs are out of control and $$ down the drain anyway, so why not force everybody to use the same boat? Given the high cost of AC campaigns vs. audience size, AC team sponsorship is not a cost effective advertising buy for potential sponsors.

2) Strict nationality rules for racing crew. Hire all the foreign coaches & trainers you want, but the guys racing on the boat must be citizens of the country they represent. Look how excited the Spanish got about "their team", even with senior Cutler onboard.

3) Shake up the format a bit, why just windward / leewards? How about something like the a race around the Isle of Wight thrown into the mix again just for fun? The fans would LOVE that.


Olympic Tornado ace Will Howden writes:

Hi All at the daily sail..

Once again the sport is showing its ugly side. Never has there been so much conjecture in two months of sailing! Anyway, with reference to your latest article and I quote.

"If it comes to a Deed of Gift America's Cup, then there are many questions to be answered. Back in July, Ellison said that if it came to a Deed of Gift America's Cup then he would be open to a challenger selection series. Assuming he stands by this now, would any of the other challengers be bothered to go to the expense and effort of developing a 90ft multihull or would they just let the billionaires slog it out?"

If Ellison does open it up why would you not challenge? Although both teams (Alinghi/BMW Oracle will be down the line of talking with their designers, there may even be a few lines drawn but that's probably as far as they will have gone. So if you got on the case now, without thinking the figures through too hard for 10 million euros you could win the Americas Cup! A tenth of what it will cost to challenge in 2010/2011! Plus to be honest its probably the best chance most of the smaller teams will every have!

PS. Can they make it after the games!

Erik van Waart writes:

Reading through your article regarding the postponement of AC 33, I can’t help notice that no attention is paid to the slightly darker motivations of Mr Bertarelli. I believe the AC Dope article on Sailing Anarchy this week holds more weight than just plain gossip.

What are your thoughts on the avenue of financial reasons to postpone? What is the contractual and commercial relationship between ACM, Alinghi, Valencia and the sponsors and how would this have influenced any such decision? Has Louis Vuitton been replaced as a title sponsor yet, or does ACM need longer to find one?

How many syndicates will bite the dust due to the postponement either financially, or because by then their sponsorship message is no longer valid, or they have found more rewarding events to spend their cash on? They will probably have to lay off people for a year, how do the syndicates prevent them from wondering off to others?

What kind of damage has EB done to sailing by first sewing up AC33 like a little kid holds on to his marbles, and now postponing the event when (I believe) 7 teams have already committed themselves? What does this do for future sponsors of any sailing event when they realise continuity is so unpredictable and the supposedly exemplary moral standards and sportsmanship of our sport are clearly not what they seem?

How come so many teams have already committed when there are so many question marks? In the cold light of day it doesn’t seem to make a lot of business sense to venture into this game with so many uncertainties and such enormous financial risks. Have people been blinded by the glamour and success of AC32? Are we seeing the first signs that the AC bubble is about to burst in an awful way?

LE is not playing a pretty game either, and going to court will never deserve a beauty award. However, he has a valid argument in the way the AC has been altered so far away from the spirit of the game by EB and the only way to bring it back to normality is through the courts. Again: why are other challengers not standing up to ACM / Alinghi / EB more, financial incentives?

Tanya Balasingham writes:

The only way a settlement can be reached is if someone "concedes". I somehow can't see that happening. I don't understand why sport so "big" doesn't have a governing body that would just take the toy away from both of these spoilt kids. Set up a new league style competition to win the Cup and take it from there. Or even better.......let Oracle and Alinghi race using the last generation boats and fight it out on the water (out of 5 races) instead of in courts and whoever wins, has to "concede".

Ed: Or maybe on the golf course?

Tom Shilson writes:

SNG (i.e. Ernesto) may think it has the best interests of the America's Cup in mind, but the postponement is, in my view, strictly a propaganda ploy. GGYC (i.e. Larry) is such a bad person that he has forced SNG to do this. Seems to me that a wait of a week or two until the judge rules is not unreasonable. Of course, if the judge were to rule against SNG then SNG is the bad one. Doing it now makes GGYC the bad ones.

The AC is the only venue where I accept this kind of political grandstanding. Manipulation of the rules, especially by the NYYC has long been a part of the history of the AC. In any other contest, I would advise firing those in charge.

James Davies writes:

Personally I am bored of the whole thing and think all those involved should grow up and Larry Ellison should accept that spending the most does not guarantee winning whether you spend the most on the water on in court.

Leaving that aside is the solution not to have a totally independent America's Cup Management like the FIA in Formula 1? After all in Formula 1 when they think things are getting unfair they simply change the rules between seasons to try to rectify the situation and they don't then get sued by every single team which is unhappy because it may have lost its competitive advantage.

Having looked at the wording of the Deed of Gift when Oracle first threatened legal proceedings I wouldn't be entirely surprised if in fact the judge upheld Alinghi accepting the Spanish as the challenger of record.

Ed: We agree. It is high time that the America's Cup, being a multi-million dollar entity as well as - in theory - a leading sports event should have an on-going central organising body which both challengers and defender have ownership of. The defender should get to decide where the event is held and get the largest cut of the not inconsiderable proceeds the event generates. As part of their challenge for the Cup, each team should state where they will hold the next event if they win and the central body as a whole should agree upon the timing and format. Obviously a streamlined process for decision making among the challengers would also have to be established and with the defender perhaps getting two votes to the challenger's one?

New Jersey Certified Cival Trial Attorney George Conk writes:

The problem with the America's Cup is that there is no governing principle that translates over time to accomplish what all successful sports require: consistent rules, changed only by agreement, that assure a level playing field. Manipulations such as those of SNG that gave it a substantial headstart and a compressed schedule are anti-competitive. Since the NY Yacht Club has achieved a delay which can level the playing field - it is a good thing - if the issues can be resolved quickly - since teams are now forced to suspend development plans in case multihulls are chosen.

From the UK, Bill Tucker writes:

The words 'toys, pram, childish' all spring to mind. Pathetic, big boy, macho negotiating strategies by both parties are inexcusable. Yes SNG shouldn't have played silly buggers with the protocol, yes BOR shouldn't have been absurdly nit-picky when it seemed clear a resolution was possible. This is after all only a game, a mighty game that we are all proud of but above all a game that needs playing not being played around with.

Get the 11 parties around a table, lock the doors until they agree some sort of monohull challenge similar to what was proposed and then let the fun begin. Result is happiness all round. Failure to do this leaves more people than just the anoraks like me disappointed and frankly more than just a bit p....d off. 3rd greatest event in the world or rich mans irrelevant sideshow - which is it to be?

Our Italian journalist colleague Andrea Falcon of the Il Giornale della Vela questions whether it is accurate to say the America's Cup has been postponed:

If BMW wins the court case, and if I am not wrong, the intention of Larry Ellison was to challenge Alinghi with multihulls on 4th July 2008, wasn't he?

From Hamble Alastair Campbell (presumably not the former Blair master of spin) writes:

I think that it’s a shame that one man’s ego has got in the way of one the greatest sporting spectacles that exists in the competitive world. The only people that will suffer from this are the people that try to make a living from racing, of course the viewing public will be disappointed, but it is the people are a part of the industry that will feel it the most.

The strong arming of the ACM by Ernesto Berteralli into making such a brash decision before the ruling of the GGYC/CNEV case by the Supreme court is northing less that pathetic. People like Ernesto and Larry are essential parts of the Americas Cup but as we have seen they can destroy it too. It happens when they cross the line of wanting to win the cup and thinking that they own the cup and right to govern the sport, this is the same for any industry or sport. The damaged that has been will now be cause from this uninformed early decision making with have untold damage to the cup and many other aspects of the sport where teams and racing rely on sponsorship to make things happen.

I believe that GGYC were right to bring the case to court as it the protocol was not designed in the spirit or competitive sport and interest of the public and sailing fraternity. However I think that the handling of their demands and requests was a little immature and expectant. It seems as though both sides were saying I want it my way or nothing at all - this doesn’t strike me as the mature actions of two successful business negotiating a delicate deal that effect large numbers of people.

The bottom line is that GGYC and CNEV (more so Ernie than Larry) have made what was the pinnacle of inshore yacht racing in to a circus act, nice one!

From Long Beach, CA, Dave Beck writes:

Of course the ACM elected to delay the event. Its fallen apart around them.

Oracle had little choice but to take court action given the nature of the protocol published by the ACM. Someone had to do it, and Ellison is arguably the only one with the guts and resources to do so. The only sad part of that was that so many of the challengers knuckled under to the ACM, giving back door support to Oracle while signing and negotiating with Alinghi. If all the challengers had openly said, "no way are you going to put this over on us," to begin with, it would have been settled, out of court, months ago.

Alinghi has no one to blame but themselves, and trying to pass the blame on to the pending court ruling only shows how weak and indefensible their position has become.


Peter Jackson writes:

In the past the NYCC had a reputation outside the US for self interest and obstruction in running a fair and open event. When, eventually, the Cup was taken away it was like a breath of fresh air. The event resultantly came on leaps and bounds, becoming an event where 'the people' could feel they were stakeholders, not just a self interested few. Sponsorship was much better attracted. Mr Bertarelli has failed to learn the lessons of the past and seems to have decided it's his toy again. He's joined the sad brigade who can't learn from others mistakes. The NYCC must be very smug that he's now behaving worse than they ever did.

It's easy for him to blame Larry and Co. but in their place what would he have done? Mr Bertarelli can either end up an old man lauded and admired for his success in winning the Cup fairly, being a good custodian and taking the event to new heights, or a sad old man who'se name is hated for returning the event to it's darkest days of manipulation and self interest. His blinkers are in place and he's firmly set on the latter course. He's decided it's his toy now and he'll do what he wants with it. I just hope he has time for reflection on what life is really all about before we all get bored and forget what is likely to become an irrelevant 'cirque de sparse-celebrete' again. At least we can all now focus on some real competitive sailing.


From US Tom Siders writes:

BMW Oracle was well within their rights to bring the case to court in order to try to establish a base line of equal competitiveness to the Challenger’s series. They also had a right to question the initial COR for it’s validity. There is a great deal though that we do not know about the on-going communications from either side of this issue. It can probably be stated that neither side has been truly forthcoming about the truths involved with their day-to-day dealings with each other. I for one would like to see much more transparency in these negotiations before I state that there truly is a reason other than financial for this delay. I think that a case could be made that Alinghi is postponing placing BMW Oracle over a barrel and forcing the issue. This leaves the burning question of; what will the court decide and does anyone involved want to see a two boat, three race America’s Cup. The America’s Cup has already been through a great deal of turmoil over the past few decades which forced it to remake its image to change the public perceptions about its continued validity. This travesty to the event could not happen at a worse time in history. What is going on now as given current and potential sponsors a reason to exit with dignity, too bad all of those involved with the cup cannot state the same.


From darkest China Ian Stewart reckons:

* LarryE does what LarryE does. He was unhappy with results and wanted to do everything he could to swing things in his favour for next time. So he engages RC and sues for Challenger of Record status. Right or wrong doesn't come in to it.

* Whilst accepting the new Spanish club as CoR was suspect, it may have had more to do with pleasing the Spanish hosts than screwing anyone else or creating an advantage for Alinghi.

* I wonder if the 'concessions' gained through the Oracle instigated process would have been natural outcomes from discussions with teams in the natural course of things in any event.

* Now we are into tactics. The announcement of the delay helps Alinghi's case by pointing fingers at Oracle. But it also makes sense with uncertainty over outcomes causing a problem principally for the lesser funded teams.

And let us keep this all in perspective. Look at the history of the AC and the way the various (mostly US of course) defenders have tried to balance things in their favour over the years. All this, sadly, seems part of the game.


Phil Lawrence writes:

Am I the only person who is bored with this shambles?.....
The event has returned to its roots as a political game of yachting for billionaires - The F1 of sailing dream is over - the enormous level of sponsorship required just isn’t there in the current market.
This is only going one way if GGYC win the court case and that is a match-off between Oracle & Alinghi. - why would Ellison want to let anyone else have a piece of the action?
The rest of the teams will just shut down to care & maintenance for a couple of years until the future is clear - No point designing a 90 footer for Valencia if the Cup might be in California in a different boat!
Meanwhile back on planet earth………………


Phil Lawrence is not alone. From the depth of the Sussex countryside Giles Pearman writes:

Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn!

There - I think that sums it up rather neatly.


From LA, Karl Wittnebel is of this same viewpoint

I know you have a news site to run, but...

I really could not care less if I ever hear anything about the America's Cup ever again. This entire event is about petulant billionaires acting like seven year olds settling scores in a sandbox that nobody else is allowed to play in. I am a pretty avid sailor, and I have more money than most people to devote to the sport, but I cannot see how the America's Cup does this sport any good whatsoever, and in fact it may be having the opposite impact.

So leave AC coverage behind, and fill the void with stories about the kinds of sailing and building available to regular mortals. There are already plenty of soap operas available on television for anyone interested in that sort of drama.


Johan Bahrke writes:

Dear Sirs,

The 32nd Americas Cup was a great success and fantastic PR for the sport and the event. In my opinion important factors for the success were that the Cup was held in Europe where most of the competing countries came from. Excellent TV coverage with on-board cameras, GPS-maps etc, brought a lot of new viewers and spectators. Another important factor was that the boats were so similar in boatspeed, which led to that the most skillful sailors won; like it should be in sailing. Now Alinghi, the team I used to admire, puts this noble rules aside. They completely destroy a winning concept that they easily just could have proceeded with. They also bring in a new class where most likely there will be a lot of differences in boatspeed and the biggest wallet will win not the best sailors.

It is such a pity for the sport and the Americas Cup.


From France Bertrand Aumoite writes:

What a mess... and loss of momentum for other potential challengers in search of financing the new 33rd campaign!

This the beauty of politics & influence is far from the Cup spirit... a dirty backstage buzz. When the sport is becoming a field play for Egos and individuals interest, something is wrong.

I deeply appreciate Ernesto's vision and efforts on raising the bar of the AC for becoming a permanent tour part, of a system where individuals have less power and impact on changes. This story and battle for ownership looks like the attempt of building of The EEC political organisation- an interesting battle of influence and ownership between US and Europe around the Cup's refusal to change.

As soon as the US court rules we will return to the real business... with clearer acceptance of its operating principles.

Matthew Armstrong writes:

Quite frankly it’s all very disappointing. The likes of Ellison and Bertarelli need to realise that they have a responsibility not only to the sport of sailing, but also to the considerable history and tradition of the Americas cup which they seem to be systematically destroying.


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