TROIA PORTUGAL MATCH CUP

Troia: Friday July 27th 2007

Two of the three French skippers who started the day in the quarter finals have been eliminated as the final four are decided. Philippe Presti and the Tour leader, Mathieu Richard, were defeated along with Paolo Cian (ITA) and Alvaro Marinho (POR) in a long day of racing that finished after sunset.

Gavin Brady (USA) made short work of the Portuguese skipper, Marinho, but the other matches were not quite so one-sided. Paolo Cian took the first race from Peter Gilmour (AUS) and made him fight hard for the three victories that took him to the semi-final.

Ian Williams (GBR), the top ranked skipper on the ISAF lists, lost his first race to Richard but then took the next three in a row. The five-setter that kept the spectators wide-awake was that between Sebastien Col (FRA) and Presti. The back-up helmsman of the Luna Rossa team took the first two races relatively easily, but Col snapped back from almost gone to win three straight and a place in the semi final.

There were two flights in the morning westerly breeze, when Brady went two-up against Marinho, and Williams and Richard posted one win apiece, but then the wind died away for an hour before the regular northerly filled in and increased in strength throughout the daylight hours. The stronger breeze brought more excitement and with it the flurry of protest flags that can be expected at this level of match racing – they kept the umpires busy.

Brady despatched Marinho without much trouble but the third match was much closer that the previous ones. A failure to cover on the first beat almost lost Williams the initial advantage he had at the start, but he held on and maintained an inside overlap at the gate and then put a blanket cover on his closest rival in the ISAF rankings to win their third match.

In the next flight Williams forced Richard over the start line early and maintained the advantage to win the race and the match by 3-1.

With the Brady 3-0 victory, the Col and Presti match started immediately after the Williams v Richard race. Col was in all sorts of trouble close to the pin end mark and there were three flags, two against him and one against Presti – the result a penalty hanging over Col. It made little difference as Presti won comfortably. Presti won the next to go 2-0 in the match, but Col won the next – 2-1.

Cian led at the weather mark in the first match against Gilmour and held off repeated challenges to win with the boats overlapped. The next race was a classic with Gilmour needing all his accumulated skills to prevail. Gilmour suffered a penalty in the close tacking at the windward mark and nevertheless led by eight seconds. Then Cian put on the pressure and closed to five seconds behind as they started the run for home.

Gilmour dragged his opponent off to the right and a down speed series of gybes began like a dance of death, as the leader attempted to shake off the penalty. Then the final gybe, after spinnakers had been doused, took the two towards the pin end of the finishing line. Luffing and shouting began in earnest and Cian was penalised with a red flag that meant that he had to take it immediately. Gilmour gybed and crossed the line to win. 1-1.

Col overtook Presti downwind on the first run and maintained his lead to level the match. Their fifth race saw Presti penalised early in the pre-start, gain the lead but go to the “wrong” gate mark, lose the lead and subsequently the race. Col won the match 3-2.

Gilmour’s next victory was much easier after Cian went right on the run and into a “soft” patch of wind, but the next was considerably closer. Gilmour took Cian out to the right of the starting line and held him there, as the committee boat end was favoured. By the time he decided that they should start, with Cian trailing by two boat’s length, Gilmour was 35 seconds late at the start.

Gilmour “faced” Cian each time they met on the first beat and kept him behind as the sun set behind the hills. There was no way that the evergreen skipper intended Cian to pass him and he finished four boat’s length clear to win the match 3-1.

Gilmour meets Col in the semi final tomorrow and in the other match, Brady faces the top-ranking Williams.

Results:

Quarter finals:

Gavin Brady (USA) beat Alvaro Marinho (POR) 3-0
Ian Williams (GBR) beat Mathieu Richard (FRA) 3-1
Peter Gilmour (AUS) beat Paolo Cian (ITA) 3-1
Sebastien Col (FRA) beat Philippe Presti (FRA) 3-2

TROIA PORTUGAL MATCH CUP

Troia: Thursday July 26th 2007

LAST EIGHT DECIDED

In four flights of racing this afternoon, six of the quarter finalists were decided, but it took another five flights, well into the evening, before the other two were able to claim their places. Throughout the day the northerly wind persisted in direction, although it varied in strength.

Gavin Brady (USA), Sebastien Col (FRA) and Mathieu Richard (FRA) were the first to claim their places from Group A; Brady the only one with a perfect 5-0 score. From Group B. Peter Gilmour (AUS), Ian Williams (GBR) and Philippe Presti (FRA) were the claimants, with Gilmour the only one with a perfect score.

Brady and his crew from the BMW Oracle Racing Team had a slight shock in their first match, against Richard, when they received a red flag penalty – one that they had to take immediately, for an infringement in the final seconds of the pre-start. They gybed and went to the left, into better pressure, and were only just behind Richard at the first mark.

Richard held his lead on the run and went around the right hand mark of the gate; Brady went left and an intense tacking duel ensued in which Richard was penalised, but led around the weather mark the second time. The run progressed out to the right win with Richard trying to manoeuvre an opportunity to offload the penalty, but Brady also knew the game and denied him. Then Brady went past to win.

Gilmour and his Professional Sailing Team (PST) had a tough match with Presti and another close one with Staffan Lindberg (FIN) with the two boats just one length apart at the finish.

The highlight of the Group B round was a match between old rivals Ian Williams with his Pindar Sailing Team and Paolo Cian (ITA). Williams wanted the left end of the start line, obtained it and started in a left hand shift. Cian went right and hooked into the first wind change, a substantial right-hander, and led for three legs of the course. Williams had closed towards the final mark and then gybe-set and went left into better pressure and was able to beat Cian to the line.

Cian, with a crew from Team Shosholoza, was the master in the five flights of the repêchage, losing only once, and that to Sally Barkow (USA), striking a blow with her all-women’s team. Otherwise he experienced little trouble in despatching his other four opponents. By beating Lindberg in their match, Alvaro Marinho (POR) claimed the other quarter final place.

Results:

Group A:

Gavin Brady (USA) 5-0
Sebastien Col (FRA) 4-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) 3-2
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) 2-3
Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) 1-4
Sally Barkow (USA) 0-6

Group B:
Peter Gilmour (AUS) 5-0
Ian Williams (GBR) 4-1
Philippe Presti (FRA) 3-2
Paolo Cian (ITA) 1-4
Alvaro Marinho (POR) 1-4
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) 1-4

Repechage:

Paolo Cian 4-1
Alvaro Marinho 3-2*
Staffan Lindberg 3-2
Bjorn Hansen 2-3
Eugeny Neugodnikov 2-3
Sally Barkow 1-4

* Marinho beat Lindberg in their match and thus joins Cian in the quarter final.

THOUGHTS ON THE PAST TWO DAYS IN THE AMERICA’S CUP

Between them, the two billionaires, Ernesto Bertarelli and Larry Ellison, have outlined their plans for America’s Cup 33. They are so different. On the one hand the defender has issued plans to hold the Cup in 2009 in Valencia, while the Deed of Gift challenger has introduced a new CEO and planned a totally different venue – the New York State Court, as soon as possible.

Ellison made his statement at a Press Conference in Valencia at the BMW Oracle Racing headquarters. He first introduced Russell Coutts as his CEO and skipper for the next America’s Cup – the world’s worst kept secret was out in the open at last. Then he said that since there was no agreement forthcoming from Bertarelli over matters pertaining to the Protocol and the status of the Challenger of Record, he would pursue the matter in the courts.

There had been a meeting of challengers earlier in the day and Ellison claimed almost universal support from those present. He said that what he wanted to see in the Protocol was mutual consent, but there was no sign of this from the Alinghi team boss. He agreed that it would be more exciting racing (for television) in bigger, faster, lighter displacement boats with deeper draft, but thought that the design advantage that Alinghi already held in this area would make the racing one-sided.

He announced that if the court ruled in favour of his Deed of Gift challenge (by disqualifying CNEV as a legitimate challenger), he would hope to hold the races from Valencia in 2008 and then, if successful, restore the Cup to its normal state in Valencia in 2009. He added that he didn’t expect to give it to the city free of charge, but would need a sum to run it, probably less than the ACM demands.

The following day, there was an ACM Press Conference at which Bertarelli carried on as if nothing had been heard from the Golden Gate Yacht Club and announced that the Cup races would be in Valencia in 2009, three weeks later in the calendar than in 2007. This would possibly eliminate the dubious weather for the early challenger trials, such as these might be with the defender taking part in all of them, at least until it was satisfied with its own performance.

He also announced that there would be two Acts in Valencia in 2008 with the new sponsor (Rolex, as yet to be named).

The bait that was offered to teams to sign up to challenge came in the form of being allowed to have input into the rule for the proposed 90-foot class for AC33. Each Team would only be allowed to build one new boat to this rule. It also emerged that the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron had joined the other three challengers, CNEV, the Royal Cape YC and the Royal Thames YC.

The Arbitration Panel is in place and the Jury is being finalised – all appointments have been made by Bertarelli’s company, ACM. This is one of the sticking points in the Protocol that Ellison mentioned as making the next Cup one-sided and far from independent in its judiciary.

The City of Valencia confirmed that €105 million would be made available for the Cup – 40% from central government, 40% from regional government and 20% from the city. In addition, the recently re-elected mayor, Rita Barbera, announced that an additional €15 million would be needed from the city’s funds to finish the infrastructure.

Finally, under questioning, Bertarelli declared his intentions over the possible court case in New York: I’m going to defend this case with every ounce of breath in my body.” He went on to describe Ellison’s actions in the single word: “Bullshit.” And that with all the Spanish and Valencian dignitaries in the room.

More later, perhaps.

Troia: Wednesday July 25th 2007

At the end of the first day’s racing in the Troia Portugal Match Cup, only three of the twelve skippers have unbeaten records. Gavin Brady (NZL) of the BMW Oracle Racing Team won all three of his matches in the round robin, as did Peter Gilmour (AUS) of the Pizza-La Sailing Team.

Five skippers, Sebastien Col (FRA), Mathieu Richard (FRA), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Ian Williams (GBR) and Philippe Presti (FRA), won two of their three matches and Paolo Cian (ITA) and Staffan Lindberg (FIN) each had one win while Sally Barkow (USA), Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) and Alvaro Marinho (POR) suffered three defeats apiece.

It was a day of mixed wind conditions; the early westerly breeze gave way to a shifting northerly at the end of the third flight, but the race officer waited until this had largely settled before resuming the racing. No flights suffered as a result of the change but there were many close matches with all the match racing gambits employed.

Gavin Brady was made to fight hard for his third victory by Neugodnikov. The Russian skipper had the better start and headed to the left in search of more pressure. He found it and led at the first mark, and held on grimly down the run. Brady attacked, using every wind shift to his advantage, to scrape around the windward mark with the narrowest of leads, which he held on the run to the finish.

Ian Williams and his Pindar Racing Team was in the thick of it, imposing a penalty on Marinho during a luffing match, from which he emerged with sufficient lead to win. He was back in it again in his third match, against Philippe Presti when he “escorted” the Frenchman out to the right hand side of the final downwind leg, neither boat hoisting a spinnaker, and set about a gybing duel with luffs that kept on for most of the leg, at least until Williams judged that he was in the right position to offload a penalty. He did so and beat his opponent to the finish line.

Peter Gilmour was also pushed to the limit of his experience, but also relied on a mistake by Williams in their match. At the windward mark, Williams dialled-down to try to penalise Gilmour, who had rounded, but hit the mark and became the victim of a self-imposed penalty.

In his final match, against Marinho, Gilmour was penalised and as he tried to offload it, Marinho compounded the issue by a blatant foul that led to a red flag penalty. Gilmour sailed away as his opponent did his turn, and took his own penalty at the finish line.

There are still four flights of the round robin and the five flights of the repêcharge for the last three skippers in each of the two groups in the round robin, before the quarter-finals begin on Friday.

Results:

Group A:
Gavin Brady (USA) 3-0
Sebastien Col (FRA) 2-1
Mathieu Richard FRA) 2-1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) 2-1
Sally Barkow (USA) 0-3
Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) 0-3

Group B:
Peter Gilmour (AUS) 3-0
Ian Williams (GBR) 2-1
Philippe Presti (FRA) 2-1
Paolo Cian (ITA) 1-2
Staffan Lindberg (FIN) 1-2
Alvaro Marinho (POR) 0-3

ENDS

As submitted to The Guardian

by Bob Fisher

Larry Ellison, the owner of the BMW Oracle Racing team, announced yesterday that he had appointed Russell Coutts to be CEO and skipper for the next America’s Cup. But where and when that will take place is something of a mystery as Ellison’s club, the Golden Gate YC of San Francisco, has an outstanding court action against the Cup’s holder, the Societe Nautique de Geneve that questions the validity of a challenge lodged by a Spanish club.

GGYC holds that the Spanish club that the Swiss has appointed as Challenger of Record is improperly constituted and does not meet the requirements of the Deed of Gift, the 1887 trust document under which the America’s Cup is raced. In addition, it objects to the draconian Protocol that the Swiss has imposed in which it can dismiss any challenger at any time without reason or warning.

Ellison said: “Our object is to return to the close and exciting racing we had, not the type in which we are unsure of our place. We cannot make a challenge in which we can be dismissed – no team would have any chance but Alinghi.” He objects too to the decision of Alinghi to change the class of boats to be used without first giving details of what it will be while at the same time advancing its own design team on the project. “They will have more than a year’s design lead on any challenger,” he added.

Coutts, who parted from Alinghi with animosity, will be delighted to race his old team. “We will build on what this team had last time to produce a winner,” he predicted.

ENDS

TROIA PORTUGAL MATCH CUP

Troia: Tuesday July 24th 2007

The third event in this year’s World Match Racing Tour begins tomorrow with the opening round robin of the Troia Portugal Match Cup. Twelve skippers will meet each of the others once and the top scoring eight helmsmen will progress to the knock out stages of the competition, beginning with the quarter-finals that will begin as soon as the preliminaries are complete.

The list of skippers and crews includes many who have been on duty in Valencia at the America’s Cup as well as the leaders in the World Tour and the top placed skippers in the ISAF world rankings. These may mean little at the end of this regatta – the standards are extremely high and there are bound to be changes.

Gavin Brady (NZL) for instance, the helmsman of BMW Oracle Racing, is officially ranked 102nd in the world, a position that is certain to alter by next Monday. Brady has brought with him four of his America’s Cup team-mates, Sean Clarkson, Morgan Trubovich, Eric Doyle and Ed Smyth, and will be a hard act to beat.

The three leaders in the World Tour, Mathieu Richard (FRA) Paolo Cian (ITA) and Ian Williams (GBR) will provide the bulk of the opposition. All of them have shown winning potential this season, along with Philippe Presti (FRA) who did duty as back-up helmsman to Luna Rossa’s James Spithill.

Sebastien Col (FRA) was helmsman of the French America’s Cup challenger, Areva, while Bjorn Hansen (SWE) is the last event winner on the World Tour, taking the Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand. Hansen, it was reported, displayed an outright mastery of the conditions, which were extreme by any standard, reaching near gale force winds.

Alvaro Marinho (POR) is the local skipper while Finland’s Staffan Lindberg is fresh from the Star World Championships at nearby Cascais. Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) finished sixth in this year’s Congressional Cup.

The evergreen match racer, Peter Gilmour and his Pizza-La Sailing Team, can always be relied on for a podium finish, and one must never underrate the one woman skipper, Sally Barkow, who finished second in the women’s event that finished here yesterday.

ENDS

TROIA PORTUGAL WOMEN’S MATCH CUP

Troia: Tuesday July 24th 2007

THE LESSONS OF TROIA

After this successful event, there can be no doubt that Women’s Match Racing has a place in the Olympic Regatta. It fulfils all the necessary criteria of the International Olympic Committee, particularly with regard to its suitability for television, and it is this that sets it apart. True the medium’s technology could be more sophisticated and eliminate the need for cameramen on the boats, but that is but detail.

Here is an Olympic discipline that could also help to reduce the numbers of athletes in the Games, but it would need pre-selection regattas so that there would be only six crews, each of four women, to represent a country – a total of 24 athletes in the proposed new total of 380 (a reduction of 20) for the 2012 Olympics at Weymouth.

It is spectator-friendly, as I found out in Troia, where I was able to watch the action from off the water and still be aware of the nuances of the sport. Add a giant screen, in the manner of the America’s Cup viewing areas, and the spectators would be more than content.

The idea is one to which the ISAF should give serious consideration at its upcoming Annual Conference in October when the events of the 2012 Games are decided. There has to be a big shake-up as the number of classes is to be reduced from 11 to ten, once again an IOC demand, and this could result in major change, one of which might see Women’s Match Racing in its proper place.

There were other lessons to be learned from the Troia event, not the least the scheduling of the races, which because of uncertainty in the weather (whenever can this be guaranteed?) almost resulted in the last race of the final being held after sunset, thereby bringing a different set of rules and regulations into play.

Considerable time was lost in swapping the skippers’ names on the mainsails ands however desirable this may be for television, a faster means of change must be found rather than dropping the mainsails to the deck each time. In addition, these were almost unreadable, even from close-up on the water. Surnames would be enough, and for them to be recognisable it might need some reduction on the size or number of sponsors’ logos on the mainsails.

Perhaps even better, the skippers’ names should be on the luff of the jibs in the style of the countries on America’s Cup boats. Add to that, spinnakers in the national colours (or even national flags) and the individual competitors become even more obvious to the spectator or television viewer.

The loss of valuable time also resulted in a rush to finish the racing and it ought to have been possible for a reasonable break between the semi-finals and the final. Sally Barkow was obviously more tired than her opponent, Jenny Axhede, for the major prize as she had been in a five-setter in her semi-final against Claire Leroy, while Axhede despatched Klaartje Zuiderbaan in three matches. A request for a short rest by Barkow was denied.

I have to question the necessity for the Principal Race Officer to attempt to organise the racing from a RIB. It is, after all, impossible for the conductor of an orchestra to carry out his task from anywhere but a central podium. It is the single centre of focus and a position from which the person in charge has a far better view, in this case, the committee boat.

Umpire calls were, as usual, faultless and it was interesting to hear (by VHF) the overlap calls of the wing umpires that would have left no doubts in the minds of those in the RIBs behind. Interesting too that some of those employed at Troia had also been present throughout the early summer in Valencia.

Bob Fisher

TROIA PORTUGAL WOMEN’S MATCH CUP

Troia: Monday July 23rd 2007:

AXHEDE SUCEEDS

Jenny Axhede of Sweden emerged the triumphal victor of the Troia Portugal Women’s Match Cup, defeating Sally Barkow of the United States by three races to one in an action-packed final the finished shortly before sunset. It was a final in which wind shifts and penalties played their part.

The first race was close, very close, and the two boats finished overlapped after Barkow had attacked throughout. Axhede won the start, shutting the gate at the committee boat end of the line so that Barkow was left with no option but to follow the Swedish skipper across.

A wind shift put Axhede back in front after Barkow had briefly taken the advantage and ten seconds separated them at the first mark. Barkow reduced this by half before the final run, but could not overcome her opponent in this race.

It was different in the next, a race in which Barkow won the start and progressively increased her lead to finish a minute ahead to level the score.

A penalty against Barkow, for failing to keep clear of the leeward boat, in the last seconds of the pre-start had an effect on the third race, but not entirely. The race was close with Barkow 12 seconds ahead at the first mark, holding that lead on the run, but when Axhede went left on the second windward leg and Barkow went right, the American’s game became unhinged with a left hand shift that brought Axhede into the game.

Barkow dipped when they crossed and there was a double tack, during which Barkow received a second penalty and took her turns instantly and dropped behind. She lost more ground when she took her other penalty turns and Axhede won easily.

Axhede led at the start of the fourth race and was never headed despite ferocious attacks by Barkow. Axhede’s all-Swedish crew of Nina Bake, Elisabeth Nilsson, Johanna Sarna, Annita Carlnnger and Erin Aderman, was faultless in all four races.

Earlier, Axhede had needed only three races to beat Klaartje Zuiderbaan of the Netherlands in the semi-final. Barkow had a considerably tougher time defeating Claire Leroy of France by 3-2. In the petit-final for third place, Leroy beat Zuiderbaan 2-0.

Final Classification with Prize Money:

1. Jenny Axhede (NED) $20,000.00
2. Sally Barkow (USA) $12,000.00
3. Claire Leroy (FRA) $8,000.00
4. Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED) $5,000.00
5. Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) $3,000.00
6. Rita Gonçalves (POR) $2,000.00
7. Lotta Thorelius (SWE)
8. Julie Bossard (FRA)

ENDS

BARKOW LEADS AFTER ROUNDS ROBIN:

The United States skipper, Sally Barkow, was the leader at the end of the second round robin of this Grade 1 event at the Portuguese resort at Troia. She began the day with three wins that took her total to 12 for only one defeat.

The first race was an enthralling one in which an early mistake by Barkow and her crew almost wrecked her chances. They were well upwind of the starting line when the sequence began and as they endeavoured to return to the pin end of the line, Jenny Axhede of Sweden went after them on starboard tack, holding them away from the line until the time penalty for starting was applied.

Another penalty came for being ahead of the line when the five-minute signal was made and Barlow appeared doomed as one penalty had to be taken immediately after starting. As Axhede started ahead, she should have had this match under control, but when Barlow took her first penalty, the Swedish woman failed to cover.

Barkow was behind at the first mark but took advantage of a shift to gain ground on the right, gybe and obtain an inside overlap on Axhede as they both headed out to the left side of the course. Higher and higher they went until they were pointing upwind. It was the ideally contrived opportunity for Barkow to offload her second penalty, and she did to lead back to the leeward gate.

It was there that Barkow went to the right hand buoy, tacking immediately to cover Axhede who opted for the left hand buoy of the gate. Barkow drew away to be 18 seconds clear at the second windward mark and was not troubled on the run home.

Barkow’s next two matches, against Rita Gonçalves of Portugal and Sweden’s Lotta Thorelius, were bread-and-butter affairs for the US skipper and her multi-national crew of Annie Lush (GBR), Sharon Ferris (NZL), and three Americans, Elizabeth Kratzig, Chafee Emory and Lindsay Bantel.

“We’ve got to nail her,” said Annie Lush before the last race, but total control however was not to be. The final match of the day was between Barkow and Klaartje Zuiderbaan and the Dutch skipper gained the advantage in the last seconds of the pre-start and denied Barkow any chance of passing.

Final scores after 20 flights (total of 14 rounds):

Sally Barkow (USA) 12-2
Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED) 10-4
Jenny Axhede (SWE) 9-5
Claire Leroy (FRA) 8-6 *
Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) 8-6
Rita Gonçalves (POR) 5-9
Lotta Thorelius (SWE) 2-12
Julie Bossard (FRA) 2-12

*Claire Leroy wins fourth place into the semi-final round on countback.

The first to three wins semi-finals and final will be held tomorrow.

Billionaires are battling over the future of the America’s Cup, and while there is nothing unique in this, it is a bitter struggle that could see the event delayed to await courtroom decisions. One billionaire’s club holds the trophy and another’s doesn’t like the way in which the event is threatened to be run.

Johnnies-come-lately are misfits in the arcane world of the America’s Cup. Their position is likely to be the result of failing to observe the ground rules of the competition, those established in the three documents that declare the intentions of the donors of the oldest continuously competed trophy in sport – the Deeds of Gift, the trust documents held in the New York State courts..

The five owners of the schooner yacht America that won the £100 silver ewer in a now fabled race around the Isle of Wight in 1851, debated what should be done with the cup, and decided to hand it to the New York Yacht Club as a perpetual trophy that was subject to challenge by foreign yachts clubs for friendly competition.

When the Societe Nautique de Geneve won the cup in Auckland and returned the trophy to Europe for the first time in its history, it inherited the rules and regulations established by the donors, and modified by them over a period of thirty years; the third and final amended deed was drawn up by the last surviving owner of America, George Schuyler in 1887.

Ernesto Bertarelli, the owner of the Alinghi team that challenged on behalf of the SNG, appeared to be as defensive of the cup as any of its previous holders and, after due consideration, chose Valencia as the venue for the 32nd edition of the event, and proved a worthy defender by defeating Team New Zealand 5-2 early this month.

It was with his plans for the 33rd event that he appears to have ignored the basic tenets of the cup, by choosing a Spanish yacht club that was formed only days before it lodged its challenge as his opponent. He and the Spanish club had failed to observe a basic clause in the deed that states that the challenging club shall be one: “…having for its annual regatta an open water course on the sea,” and this requirement was not met.

Bertarelli had seen fit also to impose other draconian regulations which biased the event heavily in his favour, and which were universally criticised, but it took fellow-billionaire, Larry Ellison, to fire the warning shot across Bertarelli’s bows. From the Golden Gate Yacht Club, under which Ellison challenged, came a riposte that the Spanish club was unconstitutional and therefore the SNG must accept the challenge of the GGYC.

Nothing official has been heard from SNG and Ellison has subsequently indicated that his is not a personal challenge, but simply one to restore the event to the way in which it has been run of late, but that would require an immediate climb-down by both the Spanish and the Swiss. The former could be despatched in court, and the latter by the “mutual agreement” clauses of the Deed of Gift.

Both billionaires want an event in two years time, and the local government of Valencia is clearing away any possible obstacles to make the venue available, but the battling off the water may be nowhere near as easy as that on it. Conciliation is not a simple matter, but the terms of the Deed of Gift are. It needs commonsense to make the parties understand how best to tackle the issues.

This first appeared in The Observer on Sunday July 22nd