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I don't think the people are behind TNZ....

Posted 8 months, 28 days ago

I don't think the people are behind TNZ....
I have a lot of Kiwi friends and I think New Zealand is definitely my most favourite place on earth to visit but aside from the truly jingoistic TNZ supporters I'm detecting a bit of grass-roots apathy towards Grant Dalton's legal action. Sure we all feel sympathetic for the sailors and support team that Dalts had to make redundant but, in case he hadn't noticed, there's a huge recession going on in AC circles with pro-sailors going back to proper jobs across the spectrum (Origin, Desafio, UITG, Oracle, Shosholoza etc etc) and the gravy train has well and truly stopped. Sure you can go around filing fantastical $100 million claims but I guarantee it'll be the lawyers that win and the Cup will remain on the ropes for the foreseeable future meaning that the prospects of any of these poor sailors returning to work is even further over the horizon. Anyhow, every AC sailor that I know was very realistic that since 2003 it really has been an unbelievable gravy train and one that had to stop someday. That day is upon us and the smart ones already had jobs lined up elsewhere. It's the ones on the periphery that are suffering and unfortunately the AC is just like a grown-up economy...when recession strikes there are winners and losers. I have very little sympathy for those that are clinging on to past glories... And what if Dalts wins? What does an end-game result look like? Do you really think Ernesto is going to write out (another) cheque and be done with it? No way, it's fantasy stuff...there will be appeal after appeal after appeal and Ernesto has $10.6 billion to call on in reserve! It won't happen and in my opinion Dalts is relegating his team to a mere crumb scrambler at the top table of world sailing and losing every piece of goodwill and dignity the team had fought so hard to regain in 2007.  Withdraw the legal dispute and move on. The Cup will be back soon enough in whatever format. Do yourself a massive favour and leave the big boys to slug it out... Full Story »

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