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Sun-Mon-Tue: Review / Preview / Rumour Control

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago

Sun-Mon-Tue: Review / Preview / Rumour Control
Why is it that Off Days always seem to be perfekt sailing days? Today here in VLC it has been beautiful: warm but not hot, dry, clear, and a nice 10-knot seabreeze. The good news is that tomorrow's forecast is almost a carbon copy, with perhaps a couple more knots of breeze. And Wednesday looks like more of the same. Will it all be over tomorrow? Or will ETNZ live another day? By the way, there are no more scheduled Off Days. Every day is a race day from here forward until one team has won five. For sure Off Days give the media too much time on their hands, so some resort to spreading old (or new) wives tales. The talk of the town today, and it will continue unless and until Alinghi wins, is about the details of the prospective Protocol between Alinghi and Desafío Español. Some of the questions being asked, and our best guesses (and, repeat, they are only educated guesses): + With Valencia apparently being retained as the venue, will the next Match be in '09, '10 or '11? Best guess: '09. However, the city and region must still pony up the €150 million that one hears Ernesto is asking (€60 million more than for AC 32) for the deal to be finalized. Or is that now a done deal given that Communidad Valenciana President Camps was on Vava yesterday? + When will the first pre-regatta be? Best guess: early next year (January-February) in Dubai. A "huge, fantastic event" or so we are hearing. Then another Act or two in Europe next summer (possibly in connection with F1 Grands Prix including Monaco), and a final '08 Act in Valencia in connection with the F1 Grand Prix de Europa in Valencia next September or October. + Will they alter the AC Class? Best guess: yes, but again only incrementally by reducing the weight (max. displacement) by one ton thereby making them faster downwind but not obsoleting the current fleet. Composite rigging will be permitted to help balance the righting moments. There is, however, discussion of going to a new 100-footer, with each team limited to building only one such new yacht. But that is more likely the AC 34 follow-on plan. + What about the jury? Best guess: go back to a split Arbitration Panel and Jury, and the Arb Panel will decide which body has jurisdiction over a given issue. Current jury member Henry Peter (SUI) is thought to have already been agreed as the next Arb Panel chairman, and he will be joined on the Arb Panel by jury member Graeme McKenzie (NZL) and a Spanish lawyer from Madrid. Current jury member David Tillet (AUS) is said to have been already agreed as AC 33 jury chairman. + What club will Desafío represent? Best guess: They will not challenge again through their national federation as they did for AC 32, because Alinghi's legal experts believe that flies in the face of the Deed of Gift. Instead, a yacht club of convenience has been formed through which the Spanish team will challenge, to be called Club Nautico Español and based at the current Desafío team base in the Port America's Cup. The president of the new yacht club is Manuel Xirivella, from Valencia and currently the Vice President of the Royal Spanish Yachting Federation (RFEV). + What about their "annual regatta on an arm of the sea" (as required by the Deed of a challenging club)? Best guess: it will be in held in Santander on Spain's north coast. + Will Iberdrola remain as their team sponsor? Best guess: yes, and the team will be renamed Desafío Iberdrola, or similar, in return for a sponsoring fee of €30 million per year. + Who will run the Spanish team? The esteemed Augustin Zulueta will remain as Managing Director, but discussions continue with Paul Cayard and others as to who will be skipper. Above, the tow in Sunday after PRO Peter Reggio pulled the plug at 16:10. Today was an Off Day, and as often seems to be the case the sailing conditions were just fine. Tomorrow and Wednesday should be good as well. Full Story »

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