The disappointment is greater than the surprise, as it had recently become too quiet around Cup organiser Simeon Tienpont and his plans: the Dutch America's Cup team DutchSail has now officially withdrawn from the 36th America's Cup. The commercial peak was too steep, the time in which the team should have been preparing for the pre-regattas for the America's Cup was too far advanced. Not to mention building a boat. While the first Cup yachts of the big and powerful teams are to be presented in the coming weeks, the Dutch have not managed to put together a powerful team despite all their efforts.
The second last-minute team from America, however, does not want to give up just yet and has once again confirmed its commitment: The Long Beach Yacht Club and Team Stars + Stripes reaffirmed on Tuesday that they are far from giving up. In a press statement, club president Camille Daniels said: "Long Beach Yacht Club is committed to reaching the start line of the first America's Cup World Series regatta in Cagliari, Italy. Our members are looking forward to it, and we are all working hard towards the goal of bringing the America's Cup to Long Beach."
Mike Buckley, one of the founders and designated skipper of the American Stars + Stripes, said: "We appreciate the support of Long Beach Yacht Club and its members and also the assistance from Emirates Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron over the past few months as we have reorganised our team. We continue to make progress with our commercial partners and believe we have what it takes for a competitive campaign in Auckland." While initial entry fees have already been paid by the team, a further one million US dollars will be due from late challengers on 1 October this year.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
