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Nationality

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago

Nationality
Your Ed. has kept his powder dry on this one, and probably should continue to do so. But a few musings on this layday Monday.... Without any sort of nationality rule (save for the basic rule in the Deed of Gift requiring that the yacht(s) be built in the country of the club the team represents), a number of the AC 32 teams have nonetheless had strong national identities. Arguably they have been the most successful here, including ENTZ, Luna Rossa, Shosholoza, Mascalzone, Desafío Español and Alinghi. Yes, Alinghi. They, too, have a strong national identity even if they only have one Swiss sailor. You only have to be here in VLC this week and see all the Swiss flags -- and hear the cacophony of cowbells. (Personally, I prefer the Swiss cheese and chocolates to say nothing of Girard-Perregaux.) Clearly a team can have a strong national identity without all their sailors being from one country. And, please, in this modern, rapidly globalizing world, let's not even think about trying to put the designer-nationality genie back in the bottle. It occurs to your Ed. that one of if not the main reason we have had no major controversies during this Cup is because of the relaxation of the nationality rules in the AC 32 Protocol by the Defender and COR. Moreover, is it just a coincidence that this is the first Cup since 1980 without a major controversy, as well as being the first Cup since then without a strict nationality rule? One suspects there is a direct and happy correlation. However, it does seem to your Ed. that some national identity for the teams is good for the Cup. But do we need more rules and regulations? Or are market forces enough? Perhaps BMW ORACLE Racing would have fared better had we adopted a stronger American identity. We took a strategic decision to be transnational. Some might say "multi-culti." Maybe that was a mistake. And does it strike anyone else as somewhat strange, and perhaps a bit self-defeating, for a Kiwi team that has an American tactician, an American navigator, and an Australian strategist -- indeed, 75% of their afterguard are non-Kiwis -- to be posturing in favor of a strict nationality rule in future Cups? What do you think? Please post a comment if so inclined. One of the few American flags seen in VLC this year is on the beautiful Swan 56 owned by NYYC member Frank Savage (USA, above, white shirt), waving to your Ed. as we snapped this shot from Alcor yesterday while waiting for the seabreeze that refused to stabilized./div> Full Story »

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