Bruno Troublé is fed up with the commercialisation efforts of the Cup defenders, which he believes are going in the wrong direction. In drastic words, the founder of the Louis Vuitton Cup attacks the organisers of the America's Cup and their zigzag course with the current preference for the small format. Troublé told sailing information service Scuttlebutt: "The Golden Gate Yacht Club and their Oracle Team USA are great sailors but hopeless guardians of the myth. They have succeeded in destroying the style and elegance that has characterised the America's Cup for decades and given it its unique characteristics. They have discouraged high-calibre partners and robbed the Cup of its exclusive position. They have perpetrated fraud on the long history of exceptional personalities that have made the Cup so special. Now they are organising a silent one-design catamaran competition with people that nobody outside the sailing community knows."
Bruno Troublé, once a Cup skipper himself and later one of the most influential Cup protagonists as the architect of the Louis Vuitton Cup, is deeply angered by the development of the America's Cup since the Americans gained control of the levers of power with their victory in the judicially enforced exclusive duel in 2010. Troublé adds: "What we have now is a vulgar beach event that smells of sun cream and chips. It's definitely not the Cup!"
The endeavours of the American Cup defenders to reduce costs had recently led to a switch to smaller catamarans between 45 and 50 feet in length. Only three out of five challengers could be persuaded to do so by the Americans or agreed to do so due to their own financial problems. The Italian team Luna Rossa Challenge withdrew from the competition last week after 15 years of Cup history, protesting strongly against the voting procedures and the result. The switch to the smaller Cup yachts is likely to lead to redundancies at all Cup syndicates in the coming months. It may be that the associated cost savings will lead to an additional challenger from Asia, which the defenders had hoped for. But is such a team worth the loss of the dazzling "Red Moon" from Italy and possibly also the New Zealanders, who are struggling for sporting survival?
The Kiwis have had their backs to the wall since it was announced that - also in line with the austerity dictates - no more Cup regattas will be held in New Zealand. Without the prospect of the Cup spectacle in Auckland, however, the local government will hardly be prepared to support their once proud team with significant sums of money.
The "New Zealand Herald" reported over the Easter weekend that since Russell Coutts took over as CEO of Oracle Team USA, the defenders have lost BMW as their main sponsor, who reportedly made the defenders an offer of almost 40 million euros for their campaign in 2013. Under Coutts' direction, Oracle also lost Louis Vuitton and now Luna Rossa with its direct line to the Prada fashion empire. The New Zealand daily quotes a source close to Oracle: "Someone has to take this away from Oracle before they let people sail in moths (ed.: one-size-fits-all class for single-handed sailors)." That someone could still be Team New Zealand. Experts believe that the New Zealanders - if they can clear the new hurdles on their Cup course - could be extremely competitive in 2017. If only it weren't for the mid-double-digit million euro budget, which remains essential for the renewed assault on the summit.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
