... Alinghi must meet America's BMW-Oracle 10 months from now in a race between giant catamarans or trimarans.

Tom Ehman, head of External Affairs for BMW Oracle Racing involved with the America's Cup for 27 years, said that the Swiss are taking that possibility seriously.

"Within hours of the time we issued our challenge, they were on the telephone to the same multihull experts we've been talking to", he said. "In fact, for a while there was a kind of bidding war going on".

BMW Oracle has challenged the validity of the CNEV (Club Nautico Español de Vela) and specified a race in boats with a maximum waterline length and beam (width) of 90 feet. That could only be a huge catamaran or trimaran, which would approach the 50 m.p.h. mark.

If the Swiss lose, they can negotiate with the Americans. Ehman said that rather than have two syndicates race giant catamarans, BMW Oracle would prefer to involve all of the challengers and the defender in selecting a new monohull design for a Cup off Valencia in 2010.

"But if they lose and won't negotiate, then we are ready to build the multihull and race next September. We have a design team and a build facility, and we are ready to push the button," Ehman said.

"That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the America's Cup", he added. "I think a lot of people would love to watch giant multihulls dicing around the turn marks at 30-40 miles per hour [around 40 knots]."

According to Ehman, if it comes to a multihull event this time around, the atmosphere toward BMW Oracle should be much different than it was toward Dennis Conner's San Diego entry in the 1987 debacle.

That's because both Oracle and Alinghi will have equal chances to build the fastest racing yacht ever designed, which could be the key to making the America's Cup a big television draw among non-sailors.