ACM meeting in Spain

Reign In Spain

The information posted about the AC Team meetings in Valencia this week has been scarce, so SA has been working overtime this Easter Weekend to gather another world-exclusive for our rabid readers. One of our best sources was, lucky for us, sent to represent one of the possible challengers and she files this report which is verified and supplemented by our best Alinghi source and even one "off the record" ACM person.

Here is a list of the teams represented and what the smart-money says is the status of each:

OFFICIAL - Alinghi (Swiss - Defender), Oracle BMW (America - Challenger of Record) and Clan Des Team (Italy).

LIKELY - Luna Rossa (Italy), GBR Challenge, El Reto (Spain), Le Defi (France), Team NZ, Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Team France.

POSSIBLE - Toscanna (Italy), Victory Challenge (Sweden), Team Dennis Conner, Sausalito (America), C7 (Australia), Oz Boys (Australia), and K Challenge (France).

The South African team "Shosholoza" (meaning "push ahead" and is from a popular folk song equivalent to your American "I've Been Working on the Railroad") were not represented, although most would put them in the "likely" category.

That's the 18 possible teams trumpeted in the ACM press releases. But as veteran Cup observers know, that number will more likely shrink to the normal plus or minus 10 when the rubber hits the road, or the hulls hit the water, in 2007.

Then there are the "we wish to remain anonymous" teams. This is mostly ACM hype. Apparently anyone who makes an inquiry and looks even remotely serious is put in that category. Germany, an American East Coast team (that may have more to do with selling laundry soap the American Way, and we are told has nothing to do with the New York Yacht Club), Dubai, Japan and even Thailand? This American effort has gone quiet, and don't hold your breath on any of the others with the possible exception of Germany.

ACM held a post-meeting press conference Wednesday evening, and it was brief and boring almost beyond belief. Next to no news was reported. These things were always more lively when Bruno Trouble was in charge, even when there was little news. But as usual SA scouted out the real news...

Before the press conference Wednesday afternoon, Oracle and Clan Des Team as the next official challenger formed the first-ever democratic Challenger Commission (not controlled by the challenger of record as in the past), and held what turned out to be the most interesting if not productive meeting of the week. It continued almost twice as long as the hour ACM had allotted.

Oracle BMW's Tom Ehman is chairman and will serve for a year, without a vote and as a "volunteer" (though he is no doubt paid by Oracle), and then there will be an election for chairman after the final challenge period closes April 29, 2005. Each official team gets one vote and prospective teams can send an observer with no vote until they become official. So far Russell Green is Oracle's representative, and Cesare Pasotti for Clan Des Team. About 50 other team reps were "observers" in this meeting, ranging from one from Team Dennis Conner (Bill Tinkle) to six or seven from K Challenge.

After explaining how the Challenger Commission would work, Ehman excused the ACM and Alinghi people present, and the challengers rolled up their sleeves in a closed-door session. A half hour into the meeting a low-level ACM staffer quietly entered the room and took a seat in the back but was quickly noticed and shown the door. It was not clear if it was an innocent mistake or he was sent in by his bosses to listen.

Dawn Riley (K Challenge) volunteered to serve as acting-Secretary. Ehman asked everyone to introduce themselves. It was a nice gesture because, strangely, at no point during the three days of meetings had ACM shown the simple courtesy of inviting those present to do so, despite taking over 30 minutes at one point on Tuesday to introduce nearly all of ACM's 32 (!) full-time staffers. This illustrates one of the chief beefs the teams (including Alinghi) have with ACM, that ACM thinks THEY are the Cup, and the teams work for them, not the other way around.

Ehman then asked all present to put forward the "burning issues" which Riley quickly listed and prioritized. Efficient and democratic as promised. No effort by Oracle, at least so far, to shove anything down anyone's throat though time will tell. The main point points of contention were:

The additional cost of upping the ACC crew limit by one person, from 16 to 17. However, this sounds like a done deal as the Class Rule has been issued and requires unanimous agreement of all official teams to change it now.
The slowness and missed deadlines of ACM in many areas including the appointment of the jury which was agreed between Alinghi and Oracle in December but has still not been signed up nor insured by ACM. This is holding up some teams from getting interpretations of the Protocol, and they say they cannot file their challenge until the questions are answered.
In many instances ACM has written one thing in the Terms of Challenge (the commercial rules for the next Cup) but then proceeded down a different track in their delivery of services, e.g., details on the provision of team bases in the AC Harbour. Several teams complained that ACM issues interpretations of the TOC orally to one team, or in meetings, but doesn't write them down and inform all others.
Team bases, originally promised at nominal cost, may end up being more expensive than in Auckland. There is no small amount of work to be done to make ready the America's Cup harbour, and most find it hard to believe bases will ready to be occupied in 2005 as promised by ACM. In the meantime several teams are temporarily setting up at the Real Club Nautico de Valencia (Royal Valencia Yacht Club) including Luna Rossa, whose base is the furthest along. Anyone who believes Signore Bertelli is no longer serious about the Cup should think again - Luna Rossa will be the first team to begin training in Valencia when they start sailing April 23rd.
Many teams, especially GBR, want to use 2003-era ACC boats for pre-regattas beyond 2004 although this was vigorously opposed by Mascalzone. Currently the new class rule ("Version 5") will be in force for all pre-regattas in 2005 and beyond.
ACM has taken to referring to the pre-regattas as "Acts," which is widely derided by the teams as melodramatic if not cliche.
The biggest issue is the "MDS" or Met Data Service that ACM is setting up to be used voluntarily by teams on a "subscription basis." The rub is that the program has been specced by Alinghi, is very expensive, and puts a grid of weather buoys on the two main course areas to be used for the challenger selection series. This would give the Defender all the information necessary to accurately assess the performance of challengers since they would have not only performance data via virtual spectator and their direct observations but precise on-the-course wind data as well. And the challengers would be largely paying for it! Each team who wants the data must pay 300,000 Euros towards the 3.5 million Euro program. ACM not only uses the data for themselves (TV show and Race Management), but will break even if a dozen teams subscribe. And Alinghi gets their data for 300,000 Euros what would otherwise cost them millions. Oracle and Alinghi have apparently been sparring over this program for months, with Oracle pushing for just one buoy in the middle of each of the three course areas and a few other bells and whistles that would have cost only 1 million Euros or so, one third of the Alinghi program cost, with commensurate savings to all teams involved. This issue will not likely die...very significant to the challengers as a group and is shaping up to be a bellwether for how "neutral" ACM really is.

The teams were asked for a show of hands about participating at the 2004 pre-regattas. The first is September 5-12 in Marseilles. After rumours about a general lack of interest, the show of hands was surprisingly strong with Oracle BMW, Clan des Team, GBR, Team France, Le Defi, Toscana, Luna Rossa, K-Challenge, Oz Boys, TNZ, and Sausalito Challenge all saying they intended to participate. Add to that Alinghi, the Spanish (who had left before the vote) and the not-present South Africans who tell ACM they are coming and you get 14 teams. Seeing the strong response, Mascalzone, who had been pooh-poohing the 2004 pre-regattas as too much too soon, then indicated that even they might front up. ACM say they can only provide space for eight teams in Marseilles, and if more than that want to attend and ACM can't deliver at the first regatta there will be hell to pay. But then not all 14 will show, and 8 or maybe 10 seems a more likely number.

Regardless, fears previously held by some that the next Cup would be an Alinghi-Oracle-only show now appear to be dead and buried. In general, people left the meetings optimistic and pleased with all that has been accomplished by ACM and the challenger of record in the last year, and prospects for this 32nd edition of the Cup appear bright.

Finally, the casting about of Coutts and Cayard in recent days was the subject of much cocktail chatter. It seems clearer than ever, since SA broke the story late last year, that Coutts has been sidelined by Alinghi same as Cayard was by Oracle in 2001. Soul mates looking to establish their own pro tour to compete with the Cup and/or the Swedish Match tour? Only time will tell. Regardless, ACM officials while dismissive of Coutts and Cayard were obviously upset about press reports that the two were scouting Cup locations in Dubai and Malta, and which ACM vehemently denied.

In the past Brad Butterworth has always represented Alinghi at such meetings, so his absence raised more than a few eyebrows. Alinghi "General Manager" Grant Simmer was present along with Sailing Director Jochen Schuemann and Technical Director Rolf Vroljk. Barely any mention of Coutts. Our best Alinghi source tells us Coutts no longer offices with Alinghi in Lausanne, but has a private office next door with his own secretary, new email address, and "the freedom to pursue other non-AC projects." Challengers are not counting out Alinghi, or Coutts for that matter. It could, they say, all be a sham like the football team that claims all week its star player is injured only to have him show up on Saturday fit as a fiddle. Anyway, many think that Jochen Schuemann is just as good as Coutts, or will be by the time 2007 rolls around.

As always we have SA people working this story in several countries, so stay tuned.