2010 Americas Cup In Valencia
The 33rd America's Cup will be between current holder of the cup, Société
Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht
Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing. The 33rd America's Cup has
been the subject of extensive court action and litigation surpassing in
distrust and intrigue even the controversial 1988 America's Cup. The match
will take place as a one-on-one Deed of Gift match in gigantic, specialized
multi-hull racing yachts with no other clubs or teams participating.
When Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) successfully defended the trophy in
the 32nd America's Cup they immediately accepted a challenge from Club
Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) a Spanish organization formed expressly for
the purpose of challenging for the cup and keeping the regatta in Valencia.
When SNG and CNEV published their protocol for the 33rd America's Cup
challenge, there was widespread consternation over its terms, with some
teams and yacht clubs calling it the worst protocol in the history of the
event.
Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) filed its own challenge for the Cup and then
filed a court case asking that CNEV be removed as Challenger of Record as
being unqualified under the Deed of Gift. GGYC also asked that it be named
as the rightful Challenger of Record, being the first club to file a
conforming challenge. As the legal proceedings progressed, SNG continued to
work with the other teams on the protocol, and by December 2007 twelve
challengers had met the entry deadline and were preparing to race in a
multi-challenge 33rd America’s Cup.
There followed a long and acrimonious legal battle, with the New York Court
of Appeals finally deciding on April 2, 2009 that CNEV failed to show that
at the time it submitted its Notice of Challenge it was a "[c]lub fulfilling
all the conditions required by" the Deed of Gift, [therefore] it does not
qualify as the Challenger of Record for the 33rd America's Cup.
As a direct consequence, the Deed of Gift Match between the Swiss Defender
Alinghi and the American Challenger BMW Oracle will take place in Valencia,
Spain, with a best-of-three regatta in February 2010.
The first race, 20 miles to windward and return, is scheduled on Monday
February 8th. The second race, an equilateral triangular race of 39 miles,
the first side of which shall be a beat to windward, is scheduled for
Wednesday February 10th. If required, the third race, again 20 miles to
windward and return, is scheduled for Friday February 12th.
