America's Cup- Technical issues overshadow Media Conference

by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz on 9 Sep 2014 An America's Cup Media Conference called for London, UK got underway with the live coverage failing to fire.

In fact of the expected hour of coverage, the broadcast did not start until 17 minutes before the end.

Six skippers fronted the media group and others. Jimmy Spithill represented the Defender, Oracle Team USA. The five Challengers on stage were Max Sirena (Luna Rossa), Dean Barker (Emirates Team NZ), Franck Cammas (Team France), Ben Ainslie (Ben Ainslie Racing), and Nathan Outteridge (Artemis racing)

Media interest in the event seemed to be muted with questions being extracted with difficulty from the assembled media audience.

Instead, it was left to MC Peter Rusch to fudge his way through the session, held at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, and ask many of the questions of the six skippers.

Despite the very impressive group of sailing talent on stage, the teams appeared to lack focus due too the uncertainties surrounding the event, and from what was seen online, the event failed to deliver on the key questions.



Only real point of interest from the very limited online broadcast was the new Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, responding to a question as to who the new Challenger of Record would be.

Oracle Team USA's Jimmy Spithill, ducked the question, deferring to Luna Rossa Skipper Max Sirena, who in turn would not confirm that his team was Challenger of Record, being the next Challenger after Team Australia withdrew in late July.

Instead, Sirena said that the Challengers were instead trying to form a Challenger of Record Committee to work with the Defender on aspects of the America's Cup organization to make a better event.

The teams had been advised of the formal appointment of Luna Rossa (or more properly their yacht club) as CoR a couple of weeks ago by letter from the America's Cup Events Authority. A Club that complies with the Deed of Gift for the America's Cup is required to be recognised by the Defender as the proper Challenger of Record. What happens thereafter with Challenger or Record Committees, Competitor Forums is outside the Deed of Gift, and is covered by the mutual consent provisions of the 19th Century Deed which governs the conduct of the America's Cup regatta.

The CORC concept is not new and was run in the 1992 and 1995 America's Cups in San Diego. It was successful largely due to the efforts of the late Ernie Taylor (AUS), and the sponsorship muscle of Louis Vuitton. Certainly it shifted the organizational distraction from the Club and Team involved.

Full replay of the media conference is available above.