During the Trapani Acts ACM announced that agreement had finally been reached among the Challenger Commission, Defender and ACM on the 2006 Schedule.

Under the Protocol and Terms of Challenge ACM has the final say on such things, but they went the extra mile to be sure all concerned were onboard.

In a nutshell, Acts 10 and 11 at Valencia in May are the same format as Malmo and Trapani -- a match racing round robin for Act 10, two days off, then three days (five races) of fleet racing for Act 11.

Act 12 is in late June and early July, also at Valencia. It is a match racing round robin followed by a semi-finals and finals. But there is added value to the normal format -- there will be three groups racing during the semis based on how they did in the round robin: finishers 1-4 will be the "gold group," 5-8 the "silver group," and 9-12 the "bronze group" (the marketing folks may come up with other group names, but you get the gist).

Within each group there will be two semi-final matches, then a final and a petit-final (or consolation final as North Americans might call it).

That way all 12 teams race to the end of the event. Moreover, you could stand 12th after the round robin, but win your group semi-final and final and end up, for Act 12, as 9th overall. Bit of a three-ring circus at the end, but should be good for all concerned.

This format was first proposed by Tom Weaver, and has since become known as the "Weaver Plan."