Atmosphere tense at Team
Alinghi (07/30/04)
(source : NZ
Herald)
Alinghi tactician Brad Butterworth admits his
relationship with syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli
is strained.
However, Butterworth insists he will be sticking with
the America's Cup holders as the issue is with Coutts
and Bertarelli and that is where it stops.
Following the sacking of Coutts, Butterworth says
his relationship with Bertarelli needs patching up.
He says it is a problem he has to get his head around.
He added: "It is going to take a while to work
through it. The situation is still not over."
He expects the other New Zealand members at Alinghi
will stay, and that includes Warrick Fleury, Simon
Daubney and Murray Jones.
Coutts retaliates in war
of words (07/28/04)
(source : NZ
Herald)
Russell Coutts will fight all the way to sail
in the 2007 America's Cup, despite being sensationally
sacked by the Alinghi syndicate yesterday.
"Russell Coutts specifically refused to helm
Alinghi in Newport, United States, where he was requested
to do so", Bertarelli's team claimed. "He
also decided not to sail with the Team Alinghi crew
at recent regattas, namely in Marstrand, Trieste and
Lisbon, where the regattas are about to commence.
This constitutes a clear violation of his employment
contract."
If any contract had been breached, Coutts asserted
it was his own.
"I have not wanted to comment in any detail up
until now because Ernesto and I were in legal mediation,"
he said. "But now I am. I had clear commitments
and understandings in my contract about my role and
responsibilities and there has been a series of breaches."
Coutts claims the rift with Bertarelli began within
weeks of Alinghi's rousing 5-0 victory in Auckland
last year, that he has been in correspondence with
Bertarelli since the start of the year and engaged
in mediation for the past two months.
Asked about the rift at the recent UBS Trophy regatta
in Newport, Bertarelli said: "It's not about
money. I think, as people have found out, he is a
difficult guy to motivate. I'm not the first one facing
this issue."
If not money, is the squabble about Coutts being confined
to running the sailing team and not being able to
shape the 2007 Cup?
His vision was to reduce costs and open up the series
to the public. The Swiss, in the shape of Bertarelli's
associate Michel Bonnefous, who runs the newly formed
America's Cup Management, have set rights control
and revenue-raising as priorities.
"I think you've got to use people where they
are best at," said Bertarelli. "And I couldn't
see Michel Bonnefous helming the boat and Russell
being in the office, drafting contracts. I thought
the logical approach was to use Russell leading the
team and yet contributing to overall construction
and Michel drafting the contracts. Which basically
is what they did with Alinghi in 2003. So it was a
natural split."
Coutts suggests Bertarelli puts his own narrow interests
ahead of what is good for the event. Rewriting the
rules in Protocol clause 13.12 on July 14 expressly
to block Coutts from joining another team, a move
which adversely affects other teams and sailors, "is
pretty indicative of Ernesto's style when he doesn't
get his way", asserts Coutts.
A source close to the BMW Oracle team, with whom Protocol
changes have to be agreed, said the amendments came
after a phone call between Bertarelli and Larry Ellison,
of Oracle.
Coutts is exploring ways to overturn the 180-day clause
slipped into a rearranged cup protocol put in place
just before the axing. He could have a variety of
legal options to consider if he wants to be sailing
at the next America's Cup.
Among the possible alternatives for Coutts' legal
advisers to consider would be:
* Applying to New York state, whose law governs the
cup, with a view to restraint of trade issues.
* Looking at European law and whether it had any jurisdiction
in the cup.
* Whether the 180-day clause, combined with the termination
of his contract, amounted to an unfair restraint of
trade. A
linghi last night put another stumbling block in place
for Coutts. Syndicate spokesman Christophe Lamps said
that Coutts would also be bound by a non-competition
clause, which would prevent a sailor whose contract
had been terminated from joining another syndicate.
"I'm a pretty determined guy," Russell Coutts
concluded. "I certainly want to do the America's
Cup again."
Russell Coutts sacked
by Alinghi (07/27/04)
(source : NZ
Herald)
New Zealand America's Cup hero Russell Coutts
has been sacked by the Swiss Alinghi team for repeatedly
"violating his duties".
"Team Alinghi is left with no choice but to terminate
its contract with Russell Coutts," the team said
in a statement today.
Coutts and Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli had been
arguing for several weeks over Coutts' duties with
the team but the team said today that repeated violations
by Coutts of his duties had led to his sacking.
Coutts refused to helm Alinghi in Newport, America,
and had also refused to sail with the Team Alinghi
crew at recent regattas in Marstrand, Sweden, Trieste,
Italy and in Lisbon, Portugal, where the regattas
were about to commence.
"This constitutes a clear violation of his employment
contract," the team said. "Furthermore,
in various press statements made early July, he declared
that he was no longer part of the Alinghi Team."
The team statement said it was also particularly damaging
that Coutts was involved in the planning and development
of a new race series which was incompatible with his
responsibilities and duties.
"In his capacity as a member of the board of
Alinghi Holdings, Russell Coutts manoeuvred himself
into an inextricable conflict of interest. As a result,
Alinghi had no recourse but to terminate its co-operation
with Russell Coutts, effective immediately,"
Alinghi said.
Last month, Bertarelli said he would resist any move
to allow Coutts to join another campaign. Coutts could
have trouble joining another syndicate because of
his background in design, although Bertarelli said
that was "not necessarily" the case. He
said he would resist any attempt by Coutts to join
a rival syndicate.
"Right now I need to protect the team more than
anything," he said. "I don't want to find
myself in a Team New Zealand situation (when Bertarelli
hired Coutts away from the cup holders in 2000). "Frankly,
and fortunately, I think I drafted my contracts a
little better than Team New Zealand."
Bertarelli could not explain Coutts' unhappiness,
but did not believe it was to do with their relationship,
money or Coutts' position in the decision-making hierarchy.
On course for controversy
(07/23/04)
(source : Telegraph)
Russell Coutts, the most successful America's
Cup skipper in history, now at loggerheads with the
current Swiss holders, might be the only cup sailor
in 153 years to have the rules altered expressly with
him in mind.
When the Swiss won the cup under Coutts' leadership
in Auckland 15 months ago, they issued a protocol
which diluted the nationality rules and liberalized
the movements of sailors.
In January, this was made more restrictive, tying
a sailor from 2006 onwards to any team he had sailed
with since the last cup. This is why Coutts has not
steered Alinghi's SUI 64 since Auckland.
But last week, protocol clause 13.12 was screwed down
even further, forbidding a sailor to swap teams if
he had been "contracted, engaged, paid or otherwise
engaged" by a team for 180 days since the last
cup. This means that if Coutts does not sail for Alinghi
in 2007, he cannot switch to a rival team.
"I don't support the change," Coutts said.
"It's bad for the event and bad for sailing.
To issue a rule that's backdated is just wrong."
SUI 64 and USA 76
expected in Valencia (07/12/04) (sources
: Masmar& Las Provincias)
After the UBS Trophy in Newport, SUI 64 and USA
76 were shipped together to Spain and are planned
to arrive on July 14 in Valencia.
For some days, the two shore teams are working hard
to prepare the RCN de Valencia base and all will be
ready soon for intense training to commence once more.
USA-71, the first of two boats built for Oracle Racing's
assault on the America's Cup 2003, is in Valencia
since few days, shipped from Auckland with the first
element of the Team NZ package. Alinghi 75 arrived
in Spain (from France) on Saturday and was unloaded
from a container ship.
As soon as the boats will be ready to sail, the two
teams will focus on tests and in-house racing in Valencia.
This period will be of great importance just over
two months are to go before the start of the Marseille
Louis Vuitton - Act 1 (commencing on the 5th September,
2004).
Brad
Butterworth remains
faithful to
Alinghi (07/02/04) (source
: La
Côte)
"I think that he want to leave", said
the Alinghi's tactician speaking to the Swiss newspaper
"La Côte" about Coutts's absence
from the helm of SUI 64.
The news seems to be better for Alinghi concerning
the other members of the Kiwi Connection.
"I committed myself to the team leaders to
honour my contract until it expires (in 2007)",
Butterworth said. "I don't believe that (Warwick
Fleury, Simon Daubney, Dean Phipps and Murray Jones)
will quit".
American
Ken Read with Team Alinghi ? (06/26/04) (source
: Alinghi)
At the UBS Trophy, Dennis Conner's long time
right hand man Ken Read gave a compelling demonstration
of his talents which may lead to an America's Cup
berth in 2007.
Veteran America’s Cup sailor was on board SUI
64 as a "special guest" with Team Alinghi,
adding his local knowledge of the area to the Alinghi
afterguard.
"It is an honour for us to have Ken Read sail
with us. He is a local here and knows the water",
Ernesto Bertarelli said. "Yesterday was the first
day and he learned how to work with us and today we
see some of the results".
"So we are pleased with what he has been contributing…it
worked today and that could be an option (to have
him join the team). We are looking at different sailors.
We clearly have to hire more people and Ken could
be one person".
Ken Read was the helmsman during the 2000 and 2003
Stars & Stripes America's Cup Challenge and was
the strategist and sailing coach for Young America
in 1995.
He is a six-time J/24 World Champion and a two-time
Corel 45 World Champion. He was a member of the victorious
U.S. Admiral's Cup Team in 1997 and has 36 National,
North American and World Championship titles to his
credit .
Coutts
exit deals cup blow to Alinghi (06/22/04) (source
: Daily
Telegraph)
The Swiss biotech billionaire was speaking exclusively
to The Daily Telegraph about Coutts's absence from
the helm of SUI 64 at the UBS Trophy regatta in Newport,
Rhode Island.
"For me to find that he doesn't want to jump
on an Alinghi boat is a bit of surprise given that
what I basically hired him for was helming,"
Bertarelli said. "If the guy doesn't want to
do his basic task, we have a bit of problem."
Bertarelli also indicated that he would resist any
attempt by Coutts to join a rival team ahead of the
America's Cup, which Alinghi will defend in 2007.
"Right now, I need to protect the team more than
anything," he said. "I don't want to find
myself in a Team New Zealand situation [when Bertarelli
hired Coutts away from the cup holders in 2000]. Frankly,
and fortunately, I think I drafted my contracts a
little better than Team New Zealand."
However, he would prefer Coutts to stay. "There's
no question that we would be better off with Russell
motivated and kicking. I appreciated him for what
he did for our team [in 2003]. I know his strengths
and that's why I am hoping for a resolution."
Bertarelli is at a loss to explain Coutts's disenchantment,
but he believes it has nothing to do with their relationship,
money or Coutts's position in the decision-making
hierarchy.
"It's not a question of relationships,"
Bertarelli said. "For me, it's very clear. We
won the cup. We rolled in to 2003 and signed all the
necessary contracts and we agreed all the financial
terms and everything was to happen as planned. Then,
suddenly, he is dissatisfied.
"Bertarelli's choice of Valencia as host city
for 2007 is cited as one example of Coutts's reduced
influence. Coutts preferred Lisbon
."He contributed, he was briefed," Bertarelli
said. "But at the end of the day I have to take
some decisions. We can't change roles here."
