What should be the very pinnacle of Yacht racing, the Americas Cup, has lost its luster for many sailing fans. In fact I find it hard to believe that this travesty is being permitted to go ahead.
The ‘Deed Of Gift’ that governs this wonderful event has been watered down again and again. Misinterpreted, various factions from time to time have created their own versions of the rules.
In recent years the cup has seen teams spending more time in the court room than on the water. The gentlemanly sport of racing sail boats has been replaced by lawyers and hired help. It is no longer a question of who is the better sailor, who can best judge the wind, waves and markers, it is just who has the most money to throw at the problem.
Some might argue that the rot set in when Dennis Conner got involved. I disagree, Dennis might have been the first to seek large sponsorship, but his campaigns were always underfunded. How he did so well is testimony to his ability and his crews.
The early 90’s really signaled the end of this epic challenge for bragging rights over sailing. For the most part there is no money pot at the end of the rainbow, it is symbolic, not enriching to win the Americas Cup. The retirement of the 12 meter boats gave way to the class that is known as AC1. Larger, faster, and way more expensive.
Match racing should not be this way. Match racing should be done using cheap, everyday boats, they should be identical in construction and rigging. The Americas Cup is about the better skipper, not the better computer design program.
Next week see’s the America’s Cup leap into complete obscurity. I found this quote from Canadian Press that sums it up so well:
And be forewarned – there won’t be any images of grinders furiously turning the winches that trim the sails, because there are no grinders. They’ve been replaced by engines in this America’s Cup, which has pushed the limits of both the legal system and technology.
This is not sailing, this is crap!
Such a yawner is this event that not even ESPN (who have been good friends to the cause over the years) are going to carry the event live. In fact no US based organization is going to.
This is a battle between two boring and too rich organizations.
It is time that someone stepped in and brought the Americas Cup back into line.
Sure, innovations from earlier AC adventures have made it to the average sailor, most though have not.
I am a fan of match racing, but watching two over sized cat’s on a drag race for 20 miles does not make me want to get up at 3am my time to view it online. Pretty much you can tell that what used to be a class act by what has happened over the part few years. Look at the sponsorship?
When I was involved so was Bruno Trouble and the Louis Vuiton people. Bruno is a class act, Bruno had a presence, as did all of his people. I enjoyed talking to him.
He represented the Challengers, I worked for the defenders. But everyone worked for the same goal, to make the Americas Cup a very special event.
What has happened to this great competition?
All I see is bad stuff. Ego’s and money rather than skill.
Pull your head out of your ass and go smell the roses. Two high tech 90 foot cat’s running a best of three series does not help the cause.
Think about what ‘The Deed Of Gift’ said. The writers of the ‘Deed Of Gift’ would be mortified by what is happening.
Simon Barrett
16 users commented in " Americas Cup – The Oldest Trophy In Sports Gets Stupid In A High Tech Way "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI agree with you completely. Moreover, the 32nd AC brought more countries into the Louis Vitton cup than ever before, and with Spain’s immediate challenge for the 33rd even more countries/teams/syndicates stepped up to participate. I was excited about the impact that would have had on sailing, worldwide, until GGYC took it to court. What a sleazy thing to do!
Tom Crawford
It is not too surprising that Oracle would adopt the “lawers first sailing second” culture because Oracle comes from the most litigous industry on the planet but I am surprised that BMW would want to be linked to it.
And yes, I do blame Oracle for 95% of the crap.
I would agree that the race should be with inexpensive, class boats. And I would also agree the legal stunts has left a very black mark. But in terms of excitement, this will be the most exciting, fastest race the America’s Cup has ever experienced. The people who have never sailed a multihull and in fact look down upon them, have no clue. But I agree. Inexpensive, class boats. The next time, lets use Nacra F-20s.
dsrofe – If drag racing is your passion, then yes, it will be exciting. If match racing is your passion, there is a high potential to be disappointed.
The AC used to be the very apex of sailing, today it is sideshow.
“Match racing should be done using cheap, everyday boats, they should be identical in construction and rigging. The Americas Cup is about the better skipper, not the better computer design program.”
You miss the point of the America’s Cup, it’s *always* been a design competition, with the fastest boat usually winning. The Match Race format is employed to determine who’s designed and built the fastest boat.
Well, I think the defender did not plan it this way eventually in the start and the 33rd AC should have been a “classical” match racing. Were they too arrogant? Maybe, but the final point is that they made a mistake creating a breach in which Oracle did not wait to be invited twice to jump in, and finally after too much court orders and lawyers talks we “end” (this might not be the end) up here, on the sea again with two gigantic boats for an event that will probably be unique in sailing history. I think the disappointment of the defender considering the recent history of the cup is clearly shown by the fact that Bertarelli only cares about fighting on the water (being himself on the boat) and does not cares about what the court will decide afterward…
Wellll… we could organise the America’s Cup in Lasers, or Optimists. Solings perhaps. But that’s not really aspirational sailing, surely, Simon?
Yes, the two-party over-by-Wednesday contest we have now doesn’t quite seem America’s Cup of old but my impression is that it should be a design, construction & sailing competition between countries, with emphasis on ‘sailing’ and ‘countries’. However much national team sporting has been eroded by monied camps in the modern age that was the written intention in the Deed of Gift. Remember that tribal element.
Today it’s a comparison of size and power with much deprecated sailing skill and subtlety. (Will we see the grand bluff Alinghi visited upon ETNZ in the port-starboard in the last challenge?)
I’d like to see a return to restricted yachts with all elements balanced and emphasis given to sailing skill. Not one-design but fairly tightly restricted designs where good control on the water is rewarded and where you pay for mistakes. I wish.
The AC has always been about innovation, indeed many ideas have been born from the designs that are now part of the higher priced yachts on sale today. Some designs have even made it to the more accessible boats.
Under certain design constraints the wing keel is a fabulous tool.
I am not suggesting that the event be held on Holder 14’s merely that there be limits placed on the design.
I will be the guy up at 3am tomorrow to watch, I care a great deal about the AC. But this is not the AC that I or anyone else wanted. We have two overfunded ego’s who have taken the AC into the toilet.
Sure the boats look great, sure they have skilled teams. But this is an AC that has little support. The TV stations in the US are shunning it. Loius Vuiton have walked away, this has become a huge yawner of an event.
The AC’s I was involved in created excitement. People cared. I was on the water and watched Chris Dixon lose that must win race for Nippon when his boom snapped. I watched the hostillity build between DC and Koch in the challenger series. I even got very close to to the fabled Guizini, Koch’s ‘weather’ boat with more gizmos than a russian trawler in the cold war!
Sure there was piles of dirty pool, but in many ways it was all good clean fun.
AC 33 is all about dirty pool, but instead of good old fashioned divers trying to snap pix of the keel, be have well heeled lawyers in the court room.
Sailing has always been a second class citizen when it comes to media coverage. The AC 33 is driving the sport even further down the food chain.
Great comments, so now you got me started! Let’s get back to a good design and use it for match racing. Produce ‘Weatherly’ and ‘Easterner’ using modern materials and technology. Get rid of electronics, and use brain and muscle power.
With those 2 hulls, one would be the trial horse. Which one would be decided by each country using them.
Then we’d have god match racing with beautiful boats.
Max, Falcon Class nat’l champ.
If you just want to see high tech carbon fiber innovations and extraordinary speed, find out where the E-class skeeter iceboats are sailing on iceboat.org. 90+mph in a sailing vessel. Oh, by the way, you can get a glimpse of Buddy Melges in his new boat. He’s still a force. Something good to see in sailing, even if you might have to freeze yourself to do it.
Let’s get back to a one-design, or near one-design boat and the multi-national competition for the America’s Cup.
Looked over the site http://www.iceboat.org/ and really enjoyed it. Was familiar with DNs only.
Iceboating and 12 meter one design would make great international competition, but would the media cover it? I doubt it.
if ellison wins the next ac will be in san francisco bay. a million people will be able to see it from the hills and waterfront. some years ago he raced allinghi in the bay 3 of 5 i think and had big crowds. summer weather is very windy with sometimes afternoon fog.i dont think ellison has thought about being a media celeb with hundreds of media following him and poking into his private life. and local politics will also be involved. it should be a wonderfull circus and i think create much interest in sailing.
Yes the hi-tech boats are interesting, but it’s no longer a ‘race’ in the popular sense.
And they can’t sail on rough seas?
Gimme a break …. like skiing only on groomed
hills.
Thank god for the Hobart etc. Real boats with
real people.
NEW Rules
No Cats
The crew must be 80% native born citizens of the country they represent.
The 2010 AC was nothing but a Rat Race!
Rat Race def. – a strenuous, wearisome, and usually competitive activity or rush.
Where were the Pre-Start Maneuvers, Tacking Duels, Luffing Matches, Backwinding, Blanketing, etc.
Gawd I miss the real Cup boats. If Bus Mosbacher were alive today he’d roll over in his grave.
Again, mass produce carbon-fibre Weatherly & Easterner for countries to rig & finish, using either to race and the other as trial horse, great hulls.
In the meantime I think I’ll go out and watch the grass grow!
Max Sarazin
Well I guess it’s speed again, no more tactics.
Brute force wins out over sailing tactics.
I have better things to do than watch 72 foot catamarans chase one another around a course with no tactics whatsoever.
Why not choose cigarette boats, real speed, with a little steadying sail from a fishing boat to qualify as ‘sail’.
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