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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 1165 - September 26, 2002Scuttlebutt is a digest of yacht racing news of major significance; commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American emphasis. Corrections, contributions, press releases, constructive criticism and contrasting viewpoints are always welcome, but save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere.
AMERICA'S CUP The case, which was scheduled to go to trial in the April of 2003 was decided summarily without the need for a trial, and Judge Barbara Rothstein found that "Reeves did in fact disclose information that was confidential thus breaching the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement without justification or excuse." The Court also rejected Reeves argument with respect to the enforceability of the liquidated damages provision in his contract and reinforced its previous ruling that the provision was reasonable and enforceable and that OneWorld was entitled to liquidated damages and to its attorneys fees. The exact amount of the liquidated damages remains to be determined but the Court indicated that the amount should be between $240,000 and $314,000 USD. Legal fees will amount to approximately $500,000 USD. Although the Court did not have the testimony before it when it reached its decision, the ruling comes on the heels of deposition testimony last week by Reeves' own expert confirming that OneWorld's design package was not a copy of or even similar to previous Team New Zealand yacht designs. Reeves provided OneWorld's stolen design package to his design expert, Robert Perry, along with the lines plans for Team New Zealand's 2000 winning yachts. After making his comparison of the plans, designer Robert Perry testified, "Éit became quite obvious that we're looking at very different boats." "That should put to rest once and for all that Laurie Davidson did not provide OneWorld with work that he had done for Team New Zealand in the previous America's Cup," said Gary Wright. OneWorld's motion to hold Reeves in contempt of court for his repeated abuses of the Court's orders and procedures remains to be determined - as does the issue of whether Reeves will be prosecuted criminally for perjury and other violations of US federal law. The Court, did, however, impose a permanent injunction against Reeves requiring him to return all OneWorld confidential information and preventing him from making any further disclosures. A violation of the injunction could expose Reeves to additional sanctions and findings of contempt. - Bob Ratliffe, OneWorld Challenge, www.oneworldchallenge.com
OLN's COVERAGE OF THE LOUIS VUITTON CUP Given that New Zealand will lose an hour in the first week of October, the US will gain an hour at the end of the month, and then the actual race times will change, our 9-11pm ET time frame allows for the most flexibility with regards to race starts and finishes. In addition, we will have the flexibility of a 45-minute tape delay should we need it, to allow for the best possible coverage to be brought to the US. We cannot factor in every scenario, and considering we are the first network to offer this type of coverage, we can only base our programming decisions upon past years' races. On any day there is racing in New Zealand, OLN will be covering it. That is our commitment to our viewers. George Smirnoff, Consumer Marketing Coordinator, Outdoor Life Network OLN Louis Vuitton Cup schedule: www.olntv.com/OATV_1781.cfm
BIG RESULTS FROM THE BIG BOAT SERIES
QUOTE / UNQUOTE * "Unlike past regattas we've found that the physical side has meant that more guys have been going down, and having good replacements has been quite key for us. We identified this early on so we're quite fortunate there. We are counting on all the guys to be up for sailing next week so we wouldn't aim to sail with any one set up, we'd rotate the crew as much as we can to keep the team going really. The back of the boat has been a bit simpler although it's been close, Jochen Schuemann, myself, Ernesto Bertarelli will be in the afterguard and Russell will sail the boat." - Brad Butterworth, Alinghi's tactician from an interview by Matthew Sheahan on the Louis Vuitton Cup website. Full story: www.lvcup.com/lvcup/lv/default.asp?m=displayarticle&id=5658 * "I think our best achievement is how far we have come as a team physically, mentally and technically. It is very easy to lose sight of just how much we have learnt as a group. All of this will of course count for nothing compared to race results starting in one week's time." - Ian Walker, skipper, GBR Challenge, www.gbrchallenge.com/gbr/default.asp?m=displayarticle&id=5657 * "From a designer's perspective, it would be interesting to explore the possibility of changing the (America's Cup) basic formula for future contests to bring more variety back into the competition. Whether this would be an improvement to the America's Cup is a moot point -there is plenty of expensive uncertainty already. Perhaps, after all, there is a good argument that having the boats settled into a corner of the Rule is just fine for the future strength of the event." - Tom Schnackenberg, Team New Zealand, from a story on the official America's Cup website. Full story: www.americascup.com/design.aspx * "We've learned that we've got two competitive boats and things are going pretty well. But these are only informal races and you don't know what the opposition is putting into it, or whether they're showing all their cards - I doubt whether they are. Also you're only getting an impression in one wind condition and given the difference in the design of these boats, I think there will be boats that perform better in lighter winds and those that perform better in stronger winds. What I'm saying is that you'd have to race these boats 10 or 15 times to really get a good idea of what you're up against." - Russell Coutts, From an interview with Matthew Sheahan on the Yachting World website, full story: www.yachting-world.com/yw/home.htm
LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) * From Benjamin Cohen (edited to our 250-word limit): It's interesting to hear talk of the shape the AC may take in the future. We talk about technology, costs, television rights, public interest, rules and so forth and so on. To spend so much only to have these technological marvels race once every blue moon is detrimental to public and corporate interest. Why not allow these teams, corporate sponsors and spectators around the world get their moneys worth not to mention the sailing fraternity. We've all heard comparison that link similarities to Formula one racing, and many of these are real. Bernie Eccelstone turned motor racing into one of the great technological spectacles of modern sport. Why doesn't AC racing do the same? The AC could be run and decided over an eight month or so period and staged in a variety of destinations around the world. Each team builds and design their own boats as they do now, and as F1 does. This would ensure technological advancement that eventually filters through to the general yachties and boat builder. It increases public awareness and access of the event and provides the all-important sponsors global publicity over the competitive year. The format can stay pretty much the same and run summarily to that of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The top two or three boats could be determined by fleet racing in the first week and match racing for the final two or three in the second week. The sponsorship dollars, tourism and publicity for host locations has unlimited potential. * From Reynald Neron: For those of you who are complaining about the lack of coverage in your area, please think about us in Australia: One of only 3 countries to have ever held the AC, no boat entered this year, and no channel have brought the TV rights. This means that the TV Channels will only give us information when something spectacular happens. The funny thing is, we are probably one of the few countries where they could show the races live without discomfort of the time difference. Shame shame shame. Oh, since it seems that everyone in Auckland read Scuttlebutt, I am available if any team need someone to clean the toilets down there. Anything to share the spirit. * From Grant Braly: In response to yesterday's letter regarding why Oracle might not have wanted to simply drop the arbitration panel procedure when Prada dropped its lawsuit, I can think of one very good reason: The management at Oracle might be extremely exhausted from the incessant whining and complaining radiating out of the Prada compound, which from what I've heard has been absorbing increasingly large amounts of all the other syndicates' time. Prada's management once turned down an invitation from Oracle to the entire Prada team (and their families) asking them over to Oracle's compound for food and beer. The reason: "You can't race hard against your friends." If Prada wants enemies to race hard against, they certainly know how to create them. I don't think there are many syndicates up and down Halsey Street who have much patience left for them. Other teams seem to have a different opinion of what is necessary to motivate their crew, and we have seen many reports in scuttlebutt of those teams enjoying the same invitation. * From Peter Harken: Herb McCormick is the best writer and storyteller the NY Times had and they just blew it big time! Long term intelligent decisions for the public interest is proving to be grossly lacking in growing numbers of big company CEO's today. The Americas Cup is a fascinating story anyway you look at it here in NZ where I'm stationed for the duration and Herb is one of the very, very best at telling it so I hope there is a smart media outlet somewhere that will use him. * George Bailey (edited to our 250-word limit): One gets a bit tired of hearing people call the AC the sport's "pinnacle event" etc. etc. If it really was, it would not be necessary for these people to try to convince everyone. The single-handed races across the Atlantic and around the globe are far more significant sporting events that the silly and over-promoted AC, with its maze of self-serving rules (albeit rules that are not really rules). The AC is just one big self-inflated bore. Half the time you do not even know who has "won" until the lawsuits are settled. No wonder "supporters" (re: business interests) have to whine on and on to get any good TV coverage. The most important sailing race is decided by what happens on the water. Only history can establish this, not publicists. By this standard, the first AC might qualify as big potatoes but thereafter the AC has remained small potatoes. One proof is that the lawsuites generated by this race get far more press than the race itself. Or to put it differently, no, it does not seem to matter how many millions are spent trying to turn the contemporary AC into a real sporting event, the race remains just a mish-mash that usually winds up with a worn-out crew that is not the best of the challenging teams (just the luckiest) racing against a fresh crew who were just lucky enough to win last time. That is not the kind of contest that decides anything.
ULLMAN SAILS GROWING
THE NEXT CUP SingaporeSailing president Low Teo Ping hopes to pull it off after making the offer to Alinghi's main man, Russell Coutts, who was New Zealand's winning skipper. Following suggestions from the visiting Team New Zealand that Singapore could compete in the America's Cup by jump-starting with a marina for super-yachts, Low said: "I've made a serious offer to Alinghi's owners, through Coutts, for Singapore to be its base. Coutts is a friend of mine, and he has told me it's a great idea. - Hauraki News website, full story: www.hauraki-news.com/LatestNews/XXXII-LN3.htm
EXPRESS 27 NATIONALS
AROUND ALONE
BLOKART ANYWHERE ANYTIME
SOLING WORLDS
MUMM 30 WORLDS Results after three races (33 boats): 1. Printel Wind (ITA) 4; 2. Alina (ITA) 16; 3. Fuzzy Logic (USA) 18; 4. Unicredito Italiano (ITA) 19; 5. Turbo Duck (USA) 23. www.mumm30.org
EXACT SOFTWARE TORNADO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
SNIPE WESTERN HEMISPHERES
CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS
STERN SCOOP
THE CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION |
