America's Cup: Dalton claims Alinghi are still recruiting
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-world.com/nz 17 May 04:14 PDT
Alinghi Red Bull Racing's AC75, well down on her marks, returns to base in Barcelona, after capsizing- September 30, 2024 © Alex Carabi / Alinghi Red Bull Racing
During a 3News interview following the 38th America's Cup venue announcement, Grant Dalton, Emirates Team New Zealand CEO, claimed that the Swiss America's Cup team Alinghi - who had previously said they were starting an "orderly wind-down" were still actively recruiting.
Grant Dalton was responding to 3News reporter Lissette Reymer (who covered the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona) on the number of Challengers likely to be at the 38th America's Cup.
"There's a curious question mark over who else will be on the start line with INEOS Britannia abandoning ship, and widespread reports that Swiss giant Alinghi are also pulling the pin. Dalton is not so sure," Reymer commented.
"This is America's Cup, right?" Dalton responded. "So never believe anything you're told - that's the first thing.
"Interestingly, Alinghi is recruiting at the moment. Never quite believe all you are told," he reiterated.
"You could argue that maybe that was just a way to clean house," he added.
On April 20, in response to a request from Sail-World for an update on the team's situation and intentions, an Alinghi spokeswoman responded: "Despite all our efforts, we - Alinghi Red Bull Racing - have not been able to find agreement with the Defender of the America's Cup for the future of the event. We would like to have seen more accountability, greater transparency and new opportunities to perform not only individually but as a group. That way we might all of us together could have delivered a commercially viable event capable of attracting global TV coverage, spectators, and sponsors.
"So, it is with great disappointment that we have begun an orderly wind-down of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team."
That statement was later repeated in a general release to other media.
Enough concessions made?
Since then, Emirates Team New Zealand have doubled down on their view that the Swiss team backer, twice America's Cup winner, Ernesto Bertarelli, is just foxing - maybe in an attempt to wring further concessions in the current negotiation phase of rules around the 38th America's Cup?
A few weeks ago, Bertarelli and Doug de Vos, backer of US Challenger, American Magic, and Ben Ainslie (Royal Yacht Squadron), met in New York, with no public mention made of the business of the meeting.
A concession was made in the draft Protocol to allow two non-nationals (who didn't sail in the 37th America's Cup) to sail with a foreign Challenger. However, that was insufficient to force a public back-track from the Swiss. Another was a further relaxation of the requirement of rules around Construction in Country - a requirement of the Deed of Gift - the 19th century document which governs the conduct of the America's Cup. However, these requirements are always modified in the Protocol. It remains to be seen if these are negated, which would likely have legal ramifications unless all teams agree to their modification.
Brits in limbo
At the heart of the issue is how many challengers will front on the startline in Naples. Having done a deal with the venue hosting, it is in the Defender's interests to talk up the market as much as possible.
INEOS Britannia, the former team of Challenger of Record, the Royal Yacht Squadron, has been abandoned by its backer, multi-billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. No announcement has been made of alternative funding for the Brits. Ratcliffe, through INEOS, is believed to still own all the team's assets, including the AC75 - the Challenger for the 2024 America's Cup.
However, Alinghi's problems aren't just over the Protocol and Class Rule that will apply for the Cup. Their AC75 was severely damaged in a sailing accident after the team was eliminated from further participation in Barcelona. The radical design finished fourth of the five challengers. It needs substantial inside and out repair to compete in any Preliminary Racing in AC75s. It is arguable whether extensive repairs are viable just to compete in some exhibition races.
The Swiss team do have a second boat, the former Te Aihe, ex Emirates Team NZ and the first ever AC75 to sail. Subsequently upgraded by the Swiss, it is still a viable boat for exhibition racing and as a test platform. However, the Swiss broke both their racing masts in the 2024 Cup - one within just 20 minutes of sailing.
The Italian team Luna Rossa look to have their heads down, and are focused on what is now an America's Cup regatta across the other side of the Tyrrhenian Sea. In early May, they became the first America's Cup team to sail in 2025, when they sailed an AC40 in One Design mode from the team base in Sardinia.
The New York Yacht Club are behaving in much the same way as they did at this stage of the 2024 Cup - keeping a low profile. A new base building in Pensacola, Florida, is the best physical indication they will be on the start line come the summer of 2027. In the last Cup, they delayed their entry for seven weeks after entries opened, as they vascillated over which of two US teams would represent them.
There is no reason to believe that the French Orient Express Racing Team, representing the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, will not enter the 2027 Cup. The team, ably led by skipper Quentin Delapierre and co-CEOs Stéphane Kandler and Bruno Dubois, were short of time going into the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup. Their model of buying a design package and building a program alongside a SailGP team seems to be the best approach for a new entry into the Cup for at least a two-Cup cycle program.
No other challengers have publicly declared their hand seven months after the conclusion of the 2024 America's Cup.
The approach that has been adopted for this Cup is in marked contrast to some previous Cups, notably following the 2007 Cup, when designs for a new AC90 were presented and 24 team representatives attended the Teams' Meeting in person or by phone. A joint statement was issued following the meetings - styming the chattering classes.
Building start before Christmas
With the 38th America's Cup scheduled for the European summer of 2027, time is very much against challengers who are not already underway with recruitment, design, tuning performance simulators, and building preparation.
In an earlier interview, ETNZ CEO Grant Dalton said the Defenders would start building by Christmas.
Only vague dates have been issued publicly as to when the Cup will be sailed at the Italian venue of Naples. But on back calculations, allowing 10-12months for construction, most teams would have to start building before or just after Christmas 2025.
Given that the teams are not permitted to test sail an AC75 or AC40/LEQ12 until 12 months after the conclusion of the 2024 America's Cup on October 19, 2024, there are just over two months of testing time available before designs have to be signed off and construction commences.
Unless a team were committed within a week or two following the end of the last Cup, it is hard to see a new team hitting the required deadlines with a successful program.
On top of that tight timeframe, for Europeans, that ten-week period comes in the late European autumn and the start of winter.
A further constraint is the already indicated caps on the teams with limitations on sailing days.
As happened in the 2024 Cup, time and season are very much against northern hemisphere challengers. The timeline for the 2027 America's Cup is controlled by the Defenders.
They get to sail through the Kiwi summer, with a full inventory of working kit and systems on which to base their program.
Another way to shortcircuit the America's Cup design timeline is to re-use a hull from the 2024 America's Cup for the 2027 event. While this has been done previously with 12 Metres and the IACC class, it is a recipe for a back-of-the-fleet finish and early elimination.
The next milestone step in the 2027 America's Cup is the issuance of the Protocol, which will set entry dates and outline the program for preliminary regattas and other events, along with the rules for conducting the America's Cup and Challenger Selection Series.