Alinghi should announce their decision shortly about the format of the 33rd America's Cup.

"It should not take much longer," a spokesman from AC Management told AFP on Tuesday, adding that internal meetings on the subject will be held this week between Alinghi, AC Management and Société Nautique de Genève.

Considering the fact that Alinghi said earlier that it would not appeal if the team lost, this is believed to be a contemplation as to whether they choose sail off in multihulls in July 2008, or negotiate a Protocol for a Match in 2009 in the AC90 class.

if they want to stick with the first choice, the terms of Oracle's challenge under the rules laid down 120 years ago will apply. That challenge specified a race in 10 months and said the Americans would field a sloop with a maximum length of 90 feet, maximum beam of 90 feet and maximum draft of six feet.

If the goal is to give Alinghi the best chance of success, it is by far the best solution. As nothing in the deed of Gift indicates when they have to disclose their boat and the location, they can generate enough uncertainty to prevail.

"We’ve gone as far as we can in preparation for the design work. But very soon we’ll have to flip the switch on construction. It takes a while to build a boat, and then we need time to test it, recognized Oracle spokeswoman Jane Eagleson. "We can’t keep running parallel design programs (for a monohull and multi-hull) indefinitely."

If the goal is to get the event back on track, Alinghi can switch to the other option – accept to organize a regular America’s Cup under the terms of the "Nine Point Plan", put forward by Golden Gate YC on 17th October.

In this seconde instance, the Protocol negotiated between the previous Challenger of Record and the Defender is expected to largely remain intact.

The key changes in the Nine Point Plan related to the allowance of two boat testing, now from March-April 2009 (currently completely outlawed, except from ACM organised events).

The other significant change in the Plan is that the Defender may sail in the Challenger Selection Series, but will not score points for the event – meaning that the racing involving the Defender will be treated largely as a bye for the competing Challenger.

It is understood that Russell Coutts asserted that GGYC/BMWOR will not as a sole charge Challenger of Record, and will revert to the model started in 1992 with a democratically run Challenger of Record Committee being organised, where each Challenger had one vote and all issues being determined on a majority or, where appropriate, unanimous vote (e.g., changes to the class rule).

It remains to be seen if a combined event will be run (Challenger Selection Series and America’s Cup) to avoid duplicate organisation, or whether the model of the Challengers owning their Selection Series will be used.

In this latter circumstance, it is believed that Louis Vuitton would return to the America’s Cup fold, and the Louis Vuitton Cup would again be contested.