A-Cup Update: The Plot Thickens
It wasn’t too many years ago that America’s Cup promoters were doing anything they could think of to make the contest for the Cup more appealing to the general public — that is, ready for prime time. But the hubbub created by defender Alinghi‘s proposed rules changes to the 1887 Deed of Gift and S.F.-based BMW Oracle’s resulting lawsuit, have certainly tarnished the Cup’s image in the eyes of diehard race fans and neophytes alike.
The latest salvo, according to a variety of published sources, is that the Swiss Alinghi team (Société Nautique de Genève) has refused to negotiate with challengers in the wake of the NY State Supreme Court’s recent decision which declared that BMW Oracle would be the challenger of record in the next A-Cup series. As it stands now, the competition would probably take place next summer in 90-ft multihulls.
A further twist to this messy business is that Grant Dalton, head of the New Zealand team, has reportedly disclosed an agreement with Alinghi that if the Cup competition were postponed until 2010, the Swiss would pay the Kiwis around $24 million, or $37 million if postponed to 2011. So much for retooling sailing’s reputation as an elitist sport.
Stay tuned for further developments, as this plot will surely thicken before these thorny issues are resolved.