Gladwell's Line - America's Cup all happening in double quick time

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ on 25 Jul 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand along with Challenger of Record have got cracking with the 36th America's Cup.

Today it is exactly one month since Emirates Team New Zealand won the 35th match on Bermuda's Great Sound.

Last Wednesday's announcement that there would be a Protocol announced in September achieves in two months what took Golden Gate YC eight months - but that included splitting from their first Challenger of Record, Hamilton Island Yacht Club, who negotiated a Protocol for an event they then couldn't enter with a good chance of performing well.

With Team Australia, Hamilton Island YC was, in hindsight, on the right track with looking to their Olympic program to find their crew. If Emirates Team New Zealand was anything to go by, then future America's Cup teams will be looking hard at their up and coming young talent.

The date of the Defence is already out there - early 2021. The venue will be Auckland (can you see RNZYS going anywhere else?)

In doing research for a book on the past America's Cup, it is quite staggering what went on with the Protocol, Venue and selection of the Class in the last America's Cup cycle.

The timeline runs like this - Golden Gate YC won the 34th America's Cup Match in late September 2013.

It took them until June 4, 2014, to announce the Protocol. Then there was such a hoo-ha about some of the provisions that it was changed substantially two days later. The rules for the class - the AC62 were released two days later, on June 6 - but that too was dropped nine months later for the AC50 - so we are up to the end of March 2015 - that's 18 months after GGYC won the America's Cup and the class is only just being announced.

Bermuda as the venue for the 35th America's Cup was announced on December 3, 2014 - which is approximately 15 months after GGYC beat the team from Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Why is all this timeline stuff important?

Two reasons.

Firstly if an event is going to be run properly, and seen to be that way, there has to be transparency and decision making as quickly as possible - that way you capitalise on the early interest after the last win and keep the fans, sponsors, teams and media involved.

Secondly if there are slow decisions, then there is a fair chance, and certainly a suspicion, that the Defending team has got the drop on what is about to be announced and can get in and hire the best designers and engineers for that type of boat and venue an the quiet - and the other teams get to pick over what is left, when the decision is finally announced.

The two Clubs, Circolo della Vela Sicilia and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will within eight weeks of the finish of the 35th America's Cup have announced the dates of the 36th Match, the Venue, the boat type - a multihull similar to that used for the past two America's Cups, or some new type. That way the new teams know what skills they need to hire or retain.

The venue is known and the options for timing of the Match will be the same as 2000 and 2003.

The Protocol will also state the nationality requirements for crews, and the constructed in country requirements for the boats.

The nationality issue has to be addressed. Since the arrival of the billionaires in the 2000 and 2003 America's Cups along with a watering down of nationality, the professional crews have been able to play one team off against another which has the collateral damage of increasing the cost of running the campaigns - which is a deterrent to enter.

The nationality ratio also has a big influence on the fan support and identification with teams.

CVS and Luna Rossa will be well aware of this factor as the Italians are almost as enthusiastic about the America's Cup as the Kiwis.

The weird part of the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda was that while Oracle Team USA tried as hard as they could to become the home team and did a hell of a job in the early days judging by the number of locals wearing OTUSA shirts, when it got down to the Finals the locals just didn't seem to be that comfortable with waving the flag of another country.

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, with the Union Jack readily seen flying in the main street and elsewhere. The Bermuda flag has the Union Jack in one quadrant just like the New Zealand flag has - so why would they want to wave the US flag?

The guys running the ferries got the message - wearing Emirates Team New Zealand hats and with New Zealand flags hanging up inside - and looked a lot more comfortable about supporting a country with which they had something in common.

Maybe they liked to support an underdog as well - even if it was really a Lone Wolf.

Of course, the Nationality aspect plays a big role in pulling TV audiences, fans and media. It is a revolving door.

Hopefully, the Defender and Challenger will have the good sense to go for broadcasters who are free to air, and not be chasing big dollars for television rights - and opt for the deal which will return the biggest audience in that territory - as well as opening up the online viewing.

Constructed in Country needs to be looked at, but it has become an anachronism - like the requirement 'to sail on their own bottoms to the port where the contest is to take place' was dropped in 1956.

The lip service that was paid to the constructed in country requirement in the last Protocol was so minimal as to be non-existent. But even so, three of the six teams still constructed their hulls at least in their home country.

Additionally, there has always been a provision that teams are allowed to construct their own parts for their boats within their base confines at the venue - so what is the point of it any more, other than it is in the Deed of Gift?

For sure there were some construction issues with the AC50's, but nothing that was caused by having a home-build.

On the other hand, with a Constructed in Country rule Emirates Team New Zealand gets a huge advantage by being able to build and launch in New Zealand while the Challengers have to lose six weeks or more in shipping or have the cost of flying - which is still a loss of three or four weeks with the breakdown and re-assembly.

There does have to be the monohull vs multihull debate, and the two clubs have done the right thing by having a consultation process. But it is going it have to be an outstanding monohull to look half as good as foiling cats - AC72, AC62, AC50 or AC whatever.

Interesting times.