Editorial- America's Cup back in the hot seat.

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World on 3 Oct 2007 Welcome to the mid-week edition of Sail-World.Com/NZ’s newsletter

In this issue we have featured two America’s cup related stories.

First an analysis of the Int Jury decision after the hearing following a positive drugs test returned by Simon Daubney (NZL) the veteran trimmer, and 20 AC race winner, aboard Alinghi.

The Decision reveals some interesting issues in the test and passage of the two samples. Plus the whole situation has significant ramifications for future America’s Cups and the potential for drink or food to be spiked and unwittingly consumed by competing crews.

One of the great traditions of the Cup has been the socialising before and during the Match, as current crews meet old. But can this tradition realistically continue if the competing crews are subject to testing for recreational drugs, under some very draconian processes and with drink spiking being a hazard of drinking, now days, in any public place?

The announcement by America’s Cup Management that they are considering delays to the America’s Cup Match scheduled for 2009, come as no surprise. An uninviting Protocol, a major event sponsor withdrawal, a lack of entries, development of a new class rule and a looming court hearing are not conducive to an event getting underway in 19 months.

We have also published some excepts from two interviews conducted by Peter Montgomery on Newstalk ZB, last Saturday, where he interviewed current protagonists and old friends, Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth.

Also in this issue is a newsletter from the Westhaven Marina Users Association. While seemingly innocuous, the newsletter masks some of the big changes afoot for the Auckland City Council owned marina, with the plans to remove all pile moorings and swing moorings and replace these with yet more marina berths.

Certainly these will show the Council a better yield per square metre. But the moves are a further blow to the traditional New Zealand sailor, of more modest means, who simply can’t afford to pay over $5,000 a year minimum just to park his 30ft boat – which may have only cost $20,000 or so.

Add to that the increasing restrictions on tidal grid usage, ostensibly on environmental grounds, and the great heritage of boat ownership is slowly being drowned by bureaucrats hell-bent on environmental and economic agendas which defy any rational examination.

As always, yachties are a too easy target, and are fast becoming an endangered species around Auckland City.

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor.

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