By winning the title of "Defender" for the next
America's Cup, the Société Nautique de Genève, represented
by Team Alinghi, has also acquired the weighty privilege
of organising the 32nd edition of the competition,
and in so doing, takes on the writing of the Protocol.
This document defines all the aspects of the competition,
from the format of the regatta, up to the use of the
materials for the construction of the boat. Since
the announcement of the new Protocol, Team Alinghi
has positioned itself evenly between tradition and
modernism.
All the announced modifications are supported in article
2, decreed by the Team: "The general underlying purpose
and intent of this Protocole shall be to promote a
competitive sporting regatta for all Competitors,
to realise the commercial and sporting potential of
the America's Cup and to encourage worldwide growth
and interest in the America's Cup as the premier event
in the sport of sailing, consistent with the provisions
of the Deed of Gift."
In the course of different meetings between the challengers,
the International Jury, the Race Committee or the
arbitration panel and the officials of CORM, the management
of the Team revisited this document, identifying the
transformations seen as favorable to the development
of the event.
Are we speaking of a revolution, no - but perhaps
of reform - to illuminate certain areas of potential
that have yet to be capitalized upon until today,
certainly.
The venue for the competition
The Société Nautique de Genève has endeavored (via
the services of AC Management, a new structure put
in place in order to manage the event side of the
America's Cup) to research a location that will provide
security for the sporting side of the competition.
In other words, the wind must blow on the racecourse
without reprieve, which will enable the competitors
to concentrate on what is essential once the competition
has begun - the art of the duel.
The objective is clear. To ensure that the word "postponement"
disappears from the racing calendar, a mention that
appeared too often in the unfolding of the 31st America's
Cup.
For the moment, eight cities are under consideration
(Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Lisbon, Naples,
Genoa, Porto Cervo, and Marseille.) AC Management
will announce the names of the four candidates that
will remain in the running during the month of May.
Also note that the competition's venue in Europe will
greatly facilitate the logistics of the challengers.
The nationality and residence rule
The Cup remains a competition between the yacht clubs
of different nations. The rule of nationality or residence,
applied to the sailors and the designers, was cause
for debate during the last America's Cup.
From now on this rule shall be repealed. Has the ax
fallen on tradition? Not truly - we have often heard
used as an example the story of Charlie Barr. His
Scandinavian crew possessed nothing of anglo-saxon
origins, except for the language spoken onboard.
However, the Protocol does anticipate certain restrictions.
A team member who sails with one challenger during
the 18 months preceding the start of the competition
- whatever the type of race - cannot take afterwards
a position with another challenger.
With regard to the designers, they cannot change syndicates
after signing a contract with one of the competitors.
The boats and the technology
One of the innovations of the 32nd Cup resides in
the fact that a veto has been levied on the rule regarding
the transfer of technology. In effect, up until the
last America's Cup, a Challenger was able to purchase
a boat but could not access the plans, nor the information
relating to its performance.
Yes, the team could see that a boat performed well
in certain conditions, but the design teams had to
spend long hours trying to figure out "why" the boat
performed the way it did. Therefore, the developments
were done almost blindly. As such, the designers held
a tool in their hands, but they did so without knowing
what the boat's limits were, which resulted in breakage
during training as well as sagas in the jury room.
Nevertheless, the task will remain to determine who,
whether it is the Challenger or the architectural
advisor, has the right to sell these documents.
The origin of the boat
The rules have relaxed in this domain as well. The
previous Protocol specified that the boat, as well
as its components, had to be built in the Challenger's
country of origin. Now, we know that the transportation
of the boats is being done in "detachable pieces,"
delivered to the competition venue, including with
the cost implications of transporting a 25-tonnes
bulb!
From now on, only the boat's hull is required to have
a "certificate of origin." The other components of
the boat can be built on site, at the location of
the competition, or in the country chosen by the competitor.
In the next parts, Alinghi will outline what new economic
and commercial forms and the structural modifications
in the organisation of the competition.
Alinghi
releases new Protocol (03/04/03) (source
: America's
Cup)
The Swiss Société Nautique de Genève, whose Alinghi
Team won the America’s Cup two days ago, and its Challenger
of Record, the Golden Gate Yacht Club represented
by the Oracle BMW Racing Team, released details of
the Protocol for the next America’s Cup on Tuesday
evening in Auckland.
No details were given on the date of the next event,
or the venue, apart from the provision that the America’s
Cup will be contested on European waters. Full details
for dates and venue will be specified on or before
15th December, 2003.
The XXXIInd Cup Protocol envisions major changes to
the way the America’s Cup is organised, with notable
differences in the Format of the Regatta, nationality
requirements, technology transfer restrictions, the
Jury and the organising authority.
Among the things that stay the same are the class
of boat to be used, the windward-leeward race course
and the provision that teams cannot name their boat
in a way that constitutes advertising, One of the
more crowd pleasing changes is sure to be concerning
the ‘unveiling’ rule. All teams must unveil their
boats before the start of racing.
The regatta format will include pre-regattas beginning
as early as the summer of 2003, and include fleet
races involving the Defender before the America’s
Cup proper. These races will have minimal impact on
the later regatta, but will count to a small extent.
The Protocol envisions the America’s Cup beginning
with a fleet race to determine (along with the results
of previous regattas) seeding for a Round Robin elimination
series.
At least the top eight Challengers will survive the
Round Robins and advance through to a knock-out series
to select the eventual Challenger. The America’s Cup
Match will continue to be a best of nine series.
Nationality and residency requirements for personnel
have been completely dropped from the Protocol. But
individuals once aligned with one syndicate may not
work for another syndicate.
The rules governing the transfer of technology have
also been relaxed. Teams will be able to purchase
old design information up until October 2004, and
at any time, design information can be included with
the purchase of an old boat. That being said, newly
generated design information cannot be shared across
teams.
Perhaps the largest change is in the structure of
the organising authority that runs the America’s Cup.
For the first time, there will be just one body responsible
for both the Challenger selection series and the America’s
Cup.
The Protocol envisions the Defender, the Société Nautique
de Genève will establish an Event Authority, charged
with managing all the funds raised through sponsorship,
media rights, merchandising etc.
After a 10 per cent management fee, this money will
be used to run the regatta. Any surplus revenue will
be split between the Defender, and all of the Challengers.
The Challenger of Record and the Defender will appoint
a Jury and a Regatta Director. The latter, responsible
for on-the-water activities, will appoint a race committee,
a Chief Umpire, and, in collaboration with the chief
measurer, a measurement committee.
The Jury will arbitrate all disputes except those
that are measurement related. There will be no Arbitration
Panel.
Reaction to this protocol is initially favourable
amongst the Cup community.
Oracle
Racing is the new Challenger of record (03/02/03)
(source
: Alinghi)
As the Swiss challenger Alinghi crossed the finish
line today to win the America's Cup for the Société
Nautique de Genève (SNG), Commodore Pierre-Yves Firmenich
received a formal challenge for the next Cup from
the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) of San Francisco.
GGYC, the club which backed Larry Ellison's Oracle
BMW Racing Team in the 2003 competition, becomes the
"Challenger of Record" for the 32nd America's Cup.
The Challenger of Record negotiates the rules for
the next event with the Defender, representing the
interests of all eventual challengers.
Commodore Pierre Yves Firmenich said, "Société Nautique
de Genève is proud to be taking the Cup event back
to Europe for the first time since 1851. It is a great
honor to have Golden Gate Yacht Club, and Mr. Ellison's
Oracle BMW Racing Team, as partners with our club,
Ernesto Bertarelli and team Alinghi as we go forward
with planning for the next event."
Bill Erkelens, ORACLE BMW Racing's General Manager,
said that the negotiations between SNG and GGYC representatives
had gone smoothly.
"Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison share the same
vision and values for modernizing the Cup. Everyone
connected with our Club and Oracle BMW are excited
to be working with Societe Nautique de Geneve and
Alinghi as their Challenger of Record."
A press conference will be held on Tuesday, March
4 at the Alinghi Base in Auckland, New Zealand to
announce details of the "Protocol" which describes
the challenge details and other ground rules for the
next America's Cup event.
Alinghi
could reward Oracle with CoR role (03/01/03)
(source
: Sailing
Anarchy)
In one of the most crucial off-the-water
decisions of the five-month America's Cup regatta,
Alinghi decides which syndicate becomes Challenger
of Record. Swiss syndicate could reward Oracle with
this powerful America's Cup role.
If it wins the cup, Alinghi has to announce the Challenger
of Record when it wins the deciding race.
The recent rumours suggested that Oracle and Alinghi
have done a back room deal ensuring that Oracle will
be the Challenger of Record for the XXXII America's
Cup.
The Challenger of Record is a pivotal position because
it negotiates with the defender over the organisation
of the next cup regatta, including consideration of
possible widespread changes.
This deal has numerous implications, and will present
some very interesting potential scenarios for the
next go around. It would appear that the AC is about
to head in a new direction.
The
next Cup would be similar if Team NZ win
(02/27/03)
(source
: Stuff.co.nz)
It was said Bertarelli had a strategy to "professionalise"
the cup, making it better organised and more appealing
to commercial sponsors, television and the public.
From NZ point of view, America's Cup executive director
Tony Thomas gave an assurance that if Team New Zealand
retained the America's Cup, the next series would
be similar to the present event.
The main change he would look for next time would
be to bring the commercial aspects of the challengers'
Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup closer together.
That could involve bringing such things as sponsorship
and television rights into one organisation.
The impression he had from Alinghi was that if they
won the cup they would like to bring the sport under
one organisation, which they would want to control.
"I don't know what the challengers would think of
having a challenger series that might be run by the
defender... but I think there would be a lot of commercial
sense in it," he said.
"But from a sporting point of view, if you're a traditionalist,
the challengers run their series and the defenders
runs their series... that's been running for 150 years".
"I think people are making suggestions, but they're
not necessarily understanding the sport," he said.
"It's a challenger-driven regatta,".
"When it (the cup) came to New Zealand it changed
and it changed for the better", he said. "And
if it goes to Europe it will change again. It will
be an evolving event." The cup would be a bigger event
in Europe than it was here, he explained.
Any move to eliminate challengers early would suit
the team defending the cup because their opposition
would have less competition.
"The approach we've always taken in New Zealand is
the more challenges we have in New Zealand, the better
it is for New Zealand." Thomas cautioned about taking
away the core values of the America's Cup.
Another comment on Sunday by Prince Albert, a member
of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was
that it would be an "excellent idea" and an "interesting
and symbolic link" if the IOC and its structures were
to help Alinghi, should they win the cup, in their
dealings with the next host venue.
The guidelines used by the IOC in choosing host venues
for summer and winter Olympic Games could be a meaningful
model, once adapted for the America's Cup, he said.
His comments follow those of IOC president Jacques
Rogge, made during a visit to Auckland last December,
that an independent and neutral ruling organisation
was needed for the America's Cup.
Alinghi spokesman Bernard Schopfer said the syndicate
were making no comment on their plans for now.
