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Give Ernie a break?

Posted 9 months, 10 days ago

Give Ernie a break?
I read with interest the comments this morning and ongoing on the forums regarding me giving Ernesto Bertarelli "a break" and would just like to make it perfectly clear where I stand on all of this. Back in 2003, I was the biggest supporter of Alinghi on planet earth. So much so that in the Sunday Star Times in New Zealand on February 9th 2003 I was the only journalist to pick that Alinghi would win 5-0 in the finals against TNZ - other luminaries on the panel included Dawn Riley, Dennis Conner, Ian Walker, Barbara Kendall and Bill Trenkle (all of whom predicted a TNZ win). What I admired then was the vitality of the campaign and the sheer brilliance of Coutts. I was lucky enough to be in a support boat towed out alongside Alinghi as they left the harbour with about 100,000 kiwis packing the harbour, baying for their blood. Witnessing Coutts, Butterworth, Bertarelli, Belsky and all the rest looking so focussed is an image of sport that I will never forget. They were determined, brilliant and at the very top of their game. I liked them as sailors and admired them as sailors, so much so, that I wrote numerous articles praising their team and I stand by every single one of those words - they were awesome. So why have I changed my stance and firmly believe that Bertarelli should be stripped of the Cup and run out of sailing for good? No, I'm not being paid by Oracle, no I have never been excluded from any Alinghi gathering, no I have not been unfairly treated by any member of the team, in short I have no axe to grind other than my belief that Bertarelli has lost the vitality and edge that he once had and that his vision for the sport is wrong. This started with the exclusion of Coutts from the last Cup and then continued with the organisation of the Cup, it's short-sightedness and the hopeless attempts by his appointed right-hand men. Valencia was and still is the wrong venue. Sponsors, and good ones, have pulled out of the sport in droves. His rampant commercialisation is just plain wrong for a pastime sport and the imposition of his will is terrifying to watch. I seriously considered writing an open letter to the Bertarelli family questioning his mental state. I won't do that as it's disrespectful to his family who surely can't be pleased to see the furore that he's causing. I'm not a traditionalist, I'm a moderniser but a 'realistic' moderniser and I firmly believe that Bertarelli is forcing the sport into the wrong direction and bullying everyone around him that disagrees. These actions are those of a dictatorial, spoilt rich kid and the very worst of his traits have come bubbling to the surface in the most disturbing manner. Personally I'm a sailing fan. I don't want to pick a fight (or a side for that matter) just for the sake of it. If Larry Ellison had done the same, or indeed does the same in the future, I would be just as vociferous. If Alinghi do the right thing, then yes, I'll give Ernesto a break...but until then, I'm on the right side of the argument and wish the American team all the very best in the Deed of Gift Match. A Cup in San Francisco? It would be unmissable...   Full Story »

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