America’s Cup, toward triumph or into the abyss?

As we await the AC World Series in New York (scheduled for May 7-8 next year), we can safely say that the 35th edition of the America’s Cup was not born under the best of stars. And we explain why.

DID ORACLE WIN BY DECEPTION IN 2013?
Two and a half years after the defender Oracle’s incredible comeback against Emirates Team New Zealand (1-8 to 9-8 in the San Francisco final) there are those who have questioned the validity of the last challenge: a book bearing the signature of sports journalist G. Bruce Knecht, The Comeback (“The Comeback”) has thrown new fuel on the fire. According to Knecht, Oracle would shift gears by winning through deception, exploiting wing sail pumping to create surplus thrust on the wing. “Pumping” is blatantly prohibited in the International Racing Rules (Rule 42), but, you know, the Cup has its own way of working: the rule had been changed to read that “a boat shall compete using only the wind and water to increase, decrease or maintain its speed. Its crew may adjust the trim of the wingsail, rudders, drifts and hulls and perform other actions of seamanship.” There were no references to pumping, and the rapid movements of Oracle’s wing could be considered as airfoil adjustments. On the actual legality of the action, all that remains is a Manzonian “to posterity the arduous judgment.”

IS THE CUP, BABY. AND YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT
On the other hand, as early as the first edition in 1851, the Americans were accused by the British of cutting the buoy, and over the years every oddity has been witnessed. From the “fins” on the bulb of Australia II, winner of the 1983 America’s Cup, to the 1988 challenge-farce in San Diego, where a 27-meter monohull, KZ-1 owned by New Zealand tycoon Michael Fay, and a small catamaran, Stars & Stripes, helmed by that foxy Dennis Conner, challenged each other in the final (there was no contest, the cat won handily). Moreover, it was provided for in the Deed of Gift, a kind of “Cup constitution” drafted in 1857, which gives the defender many advantages in drafting the protocol governing the next Cup edition.

QUER UGLY MESS OF THE AMERICA’S CUP
After the Ellison-Bertarelli diatribes, the America’s Cup has not been the same since 2010. Constant rule changes, no clarity, foiling, not foiling. The current edition (the AC World Series is being run, while the final phase, with the Louis Vuitton AC Qualifiers, will begin on May 26, 2017: the challenge between defender and challenger is on the cards starting June 17) will be remembered for the confusion. A confusion that has caused what is, in fact, the world’s oldest sailing competition to lose appeal: suffice it to say that not all countries involved in the challenge have purchased the television rights to broadcast the races live. Not only that, the climate of uncertainty that unfolded caused the initial Challenger of Record, Team Australia, to withdraw. Too many advantages for Oracle, starting with the ability to build two boats versus the one granted to the challengers. Then Luna Rossa’s farewell, once it was decided that the boats in which the finals would be raced would not be the AC62s (cat foiling ten feet smaller than the AC72s aboard which the challenge between Oracle and Team New Zealand took place in 2013) but the AC48s, officially for budget-containment reasons. Patrizio Bertelli withdrew the challenge because Prada was already working on optimizing the AC62, and the return to a smaller size, only three feet larger than the AC45, saw off months of work and money.

AN ARMCHAIR FOR SIX
This has left many sailors stranded. Max Sirena found a gig with the Kiwis, Francesco Bruni with Artemis, Mario Caponnetto joined the Land Rover BAR design team, the union built around Ben Ainslie that aims to bring the Cup back to England. In the end, five teams agreed to submit to the protocol “imposed” by Ellison and Coutts: in addition to the aforementioned ETNZL, BAR and Artemis, the transalpine Groupama Team France and the Japanese Softbank Team Japan confirmed. Currently, after the AC World Series in Portsmouth, Gothenburg, Bermuda and Oman, Emirates Team New Zealand leads the standings, ahead of Oracle Team USA and Land Rover BAR. Next meeting in New York City on May 7 and 8. For whom should we cheer? We are on the side of Max Sirena. With the Luna Rossa dream gone, he chose the one team that is likely to give the Americans a run for their money. Should the Kiwis succeed in snatching the Cup, they can put their hand in the rulebook by bringing the America’s Cup back to a more human scale (will monohulls return?), restoring its credibility. And encouraging the return of other teams, certainly including Luna Rossa.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE CUP? PAY!
In Italy we cannot see the exploits of Sirena and co. Or rather, if we want to enjoy them we have to shell out, after downloading the America’s Cup App (for iOS or Android devices) $7.99. For those who want to subscribe to all 2016 events instead, the cost is $27.99. This is the only way to watch the regattas, as no Italian television network has purchased the rights. What a contradiction for the America’s Cup that was supposed to be the one of the “social generation,” and instead has no free online streaming at all!

MEANWHILE, THE BOAT HAS CHANGED AGAIN
Meanwhile, the boat chosen for the Louis Vuitton and the finals has still changed: no longer the AC48 but the AC50. It will be a monotype, like the Laser: it will be built in different yards but the molds will be identical. The only remaining non-rigid sail, the jib, will also be one design. The length of the hulls will be around 15 meters, the width 8.5 for a total weight of about 2,400 kilograms. That is, unless someone decides again to shuffle the cards on the table….