Mascalzone Latino is a contractual partner in the protocol that regulates the modalities of the 34th Cup. What if the team is unable to compete, as it currently looks like it will? Will all the previous arrangements, including the new multihulls, be cancelled?
The rumours are intensifying: the "Challenger of Record" in the 34th Americas Cup cycle is allegedly on the verge of pulling out. Mascalzone team boss Vincenzo Onorato has announced his withdrawal several times in recent weeks in the event that his team is still unable to find business partners. In Valencia, the sailors tell each other behind closed doors that Onorato, once such a passionate Cup hunter, has not been able to pay the bills for a long time and most of the team members have been let go. Now Onorato's former skipper Vasco Vascotto has spoken plainly in an interview with Spanish journalist Pierre Orphanidis (VSail.info): "I'll tell you what everyone is thinking but is afraid to say."
The Italian explains: "It looks as if the legitimate winner of the 33rd Americas Cup has not helped the sport of sailing in any way. 98 per cent of all sailors and 80 per cent of all journalists I speak to strongly criticise the new format (ed.: with catamarans instead of monohull yachts). In my 40 years of sailing, I have never experienced such a level of disappointment in the Americas Cup. This upcoming Americas Cup will have very few teams. And it won't even be as favourable as they have so often claimed."
Vascotto is also unimpressed by the six challengers announced so far: "It's true, these are new teams and I hope they will bring a breath of fresh air. But I haven't seen them yet. And I'm not sure they're really there." Vascotto also criticises the still unnamed dates for the pre-regattas on smaller catamarans, which are due to start this year. Vascotto describes the 34th Americas Cup as regressive and accuses the self-proclaimed modernisers of breaking the back of established campaigns such as Team New Zealand or the British Team Origin by switching to catamarans and damaging the entire sport of sailing by reducing the number of crews to eleven.
If Mascalzone Latino is indeed cancelled as Challenger of Record, the second challenger of defending champion Oracle Racing in chronological order would take over the role of Oracle Racing's negotiating partner in this 34th Cup cycle, according to the regulations. It would be Torbjörn Törnquist's Swedish team Artemis with skipper Paul Cayard, which submitted its challenge to Oracle Racing on 8 November 2010.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
