With the America's Cup seemingly helplessly embroiled in courtroom bickering and semantics, a surprise move by TEAMORIGIN has proposed a 'third way'.
The team have proposed their candidacy as challenger of record, to negotiate a protocol agreeable to all & based upon the original AC33 proposal, with the final to take place in Valencia in 2011.
The action is an attempt to provide a means for Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) and Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) to end hostilities long before any protracted New York Supreme Court resolution, while affording both sides a face-saving opportunity.
With all parties claiming to have the cup's best interests at heart, it's an opportunity to prove the purity of their intent; at the same time, to disregard such opportunity may well once and for all reveal non-sporting motivation behind current activities; the ball is (as is so often the case) firmly in SNG's & GGYC's respective courts, pardon the pun.
The Afterguard believes that the opportunity to see a broad field compete for a 33rd America's Cup can only now be achieved by compromise, and although far from perfect, this TEAMORIGIN assertion will once and for all answer the question 'is it really for the sake of the sport?'. Can either party, subject to current court scrutiny, afford to disregard a viable alternative? Certainly TEAMORIGIN have now been seen to propose a solution with guidance from former ACM-man Marcus Hutchinson, TEAMORIGIN's Director of External Affairs & Communications - a man ideally qualified to know which bullet Ernesto Bertarelli might bite.
TEAMORIGIN's statement in full (also here)
TEAMORIGIN and the Royal Thames propose a "Third Way"
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
On 9th January this year TEAMORIGIN, with the Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC), lodged a Deed of Gift (DOG) Challenge with the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG). It called for a Match in 2011 in Valencia to be sailed in AC90 yachts and it outlined their willingness to consider a mutual consent match with a protocol along similar lines to the one signed in July last year.
The RTYC’s most recent challenge was lodged in anticipation of a potential vacuum occurring should the currently disputed Golden Gate Yacht Club’s (GGYC) DOG Challenge be found lacking by the New York Supreme Court’s Judge Cahn. SNG’s motion to reargue and renew points about the validity of GGYC’s DOG Challenge, part of the legal dispute that has dogged the America’s Cup since July 2007, was due to be heard on 14th January of this year, along with argument on settling the order arising from the judgment of 27th November. On 14th January however Judge Cahn further postponed the hearing to Wednesday 23rd January.
Accompanying the RTYC’s DOG Challenge documents was a covering letter from TEAMORIGIN to Ernesto Bertarelli, syndicate head of Alinghi and Pierre-Yves Firmenich, President of the SNG, signed by Sir Keith Mills, TEAMORIGIN Principal. In it he wrote:
“…we envisage discussing with you and hopefully agreeing alternative arrangements by mutual consent as contemplated in the Deed of Gift. Our intention would be to agree a Protocol and associated documents along similar lines to the ones negotiated with Challengers between July and November 2007.”
“We are in favour of your original philosophy for the 33rd America’s Cup, the pillars of which came through clearly in the July 2007 Protocol, namely a mutual consent regatta, based in Valencia, with pre-regattas and sensible cost containment…”.
The delay in Judge Cahn’s deliberations last week has opened up a second potential benefit from the RTYC’s new challenge. It could now also help secure a new trial protocol with the Swiss Defender that is sufficiently satisfactory to the GGYC for the American club to be sufficiently comfortable to drop its challenge, making way for the RTYC to become the Challenger of Record. This should result in the avoidance of the inevitable appeals threatened by both sides should they lose in the current litigation. It should also negate the need for a DOG Match some time this year or next, with the serious complications that the potential of such an event is starting to bring to light.
By following the lead proposed by TEAMORIGIN and the RTYC the GGYC and the SNG have a real opportunity to reach a successful conclusion to the current situation, stop building yachts for a DOG Match, avoid further litigation and allow stability to return to the world of the America’s Cup - something that would benefit all prospective challengers and the sport as a whole.
To ignore this opportunity would result in further untold damage and could lead to a potentially hollow victory, completely debasing the value of the America’s Cup as the pinnacle of the sport of sailing and stunting its ability to further develop in the future.
“We believe that a real window of opportunity exists to end this situation positively and quickly. And so we call on the GGYC and the SNG to take this new opportunity seriously and work with us on a new protocol for an America’s Cup in 2011 in the exciting new AC90 class,” concluded Sir Keith.
Ends.
Royal Thames Yacht Club notice of challenge may be downloaded here.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
TEAMORIGIN challenge America's Cup factions to state their motivation - court or sport?
Friday, 21 December 2007
The Afterguard: Wishing Our Readers A Very Merry Christmas
The Afterguard would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful 2008.
To those at sea throughout the festive season we wish safe passage.
To the crews and shore crews of America's Cup teams we wish a successful and positive New Year. In particular, we hope the fortunes of all involved with TEAMORIGIN take a beneficial turn in the year ahead.
To the protagonists responsible for the mess they've left the cup in, we hope they'll take a little time over the holiday season to reflect on their actions in recent months, and perhaps strive to do a little more for the common good as we move into the new year.
We remain hopeful for the opportunity to return in 2008 and cover America's Cup sporting activity, once and for all to banish the bitter after-taste of apparent America's Cup malfeasance we've all suffered recently. Let's hope we'll soon remember 2007 for the excellent 32nd America's Cup alone.
Peace and goodwill to all.
Image: Art by Alan Giana.
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
The Afterguard: TEAMORIGIN Batten Down The Hatches
TEAMORIGIN this afternoon acknowledged that no multiple-challenger America's Cup competition is likely to take place before 2011.
Careful to temper language when reflecting on the shambolic state of mismanagement that the America's Cup is in, there is little doubting the disappointment behind the team principle's pledge to try to keep TEAMORIGIN together over the next four years.
Having witnessed the effort that has gone into generating the cohesion and ambition driving all members of TEAMORIGIN, The Afterguard wishes to extend its best wishes to all concerned for the future.
The team's latest release (here) reproduced in full:
TEAMORIGIN Aims For 2011
TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s Challenge for the America’s Cup, is modifying its plans to aim for competition in 2011. Originally planned for 2009 this date is now seen as the most likely date for an America’s Cup event with multiple challengers.
“Over the past 12 months Team Director Mike Sanderson and I have assembled what we believe to be an incredibly strong team in TEAMORIGIN. Today that team is made up of over 100 people and numbers amongst them the best sailors, designers and shore side management in the business. With the work accomplished so far we were on track to race the new AC90 class competitively for the America’s Cup in 2009. However, our assessment now is that a 2009 America’s Cup Match that TEAMORIGIN could compete in is extremely unlikely and that 2011 is now the most likely timing for the next America’s Cup with multiple challengers,” explained Team Principal Sir Keith Mills.
Certain members of the team have less of a rush on their hands now in terms of getting racing yachts ready for a competition in Valencia originally scheduled for 18 months from now.
“Up until today the design team, run by Juan Kouyoumdjian, Andy Claughton and Mickey Ickert, had been working flat out to design the first of the team’s AC-90 yachts.
TEAMORIGIN’s shore crew and boat builders had been making all arrangements to build this boat in time for a June 2008 launch in Valencia. We now see a longer period ahead of us before a race-ready yacht is required and so have taken this opportunity to change our approach. To keep these original plans in place now would be wasteful and as a result TEAMORIGIN is lowering its current level of activity and re-focusing on planning for a 2011 event. The team is however always prepared for any eventuality and it has the flexibility to quickly escalate the programme and plans in case the America’s Cup situation changes again,” said Team Director Mike Sanderson.
When Sir Keith Mills first announced his intentions to challenge for the America’s Cup 11 months ago it was without knowing the dates, venue or format of the first event a British team could race in. Although initially expecting to be able to race in the 33rd America’s Cup, announced in July of this year to be run in 2009, the ongoing litigation between the Swiss Defender and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club has brought into question the dates and format of the next event.
“The greatest thing that I found have about TEAMORIGIN during its formative months has been the spirit in which a really strong and competitive team has been created. We have an incredible array of motivated talent in this team, people who want to do this for the right reasons. Although, through lack of an event, we have to slow down now in our preparations I know that when the time comes this team will regroup and come out even stronger,” said TEAMORIGIN’s skipper Ben Ainslie OBE.
“I remain totally committed to the America’s Cup and to maintaining the competitive advantage that TEAMORIGIN has built,” continued Sir Keith. “But I am extremely frustrated and disappointed about the current state of affairs. What we need is clarity and I urge the Defender and Challenger of Record to reach an agreement that provides the prospective challengers like TEAMORIGIN with the certainty they need to plan future campaigns.”
“My principal goal now is to keep TEAMORIGIN together so as to be able to compete for the America’s Cup at some time in the future. Without any certainty today as to when, where and how that will be I am reluctantly forced to slow things down and stand the team down from full operational mode,” concluded Sir Keith.
The Afterguard: The Deafening Sound Of Silence
Alive & well, The Afterguard remains silent for good reason.
We at The Afterguard are grateful to all who have emailed us over recent weeks to check that all is ok with us and to enquire as to why we have been silent.
To be honest, our initial enthusiasm for the machinations behind the scenes of the America's Cup have turned over recent months to utter contempt for those responsible for turning a once honourable sporting event into a circus whose only currency is greed and arrogance. Such is our disregard for those involved that we'd rather deny the oxygen of publicity to these parties on our pages; there are others who are more eloquent in their reporting of the self-inflicted humiliation being played out - we'll remain silent and maintain a watching brief, ready to return just as soon as sportsmanship is ready to replace selfishness.
Here's to the hope of some sport in 2008.
Thursday, 4 October 2007
The Afterguard - 33rd America's Cup In Disarray
The Afterguard turns its back for 5 minutes & the entire world seems to go stark raving mad...
Allegedly, Alinghi's Simon Daubney has tested positive for traces of cocaine, and if true, money's power to corrupt in sport is yet again proven... [Source: NZ Herald]
The billionaire's boys club stage a short-lived love-in (by phone), yet while both parties sound increasingly anxious to avoid the car crash they've both contributed to, they remain on course to inflict mortal wounds not on each other so much, but on the Auld Mug itself. [Source: The Telegraph/GGYC]
ACM survey the rising tide:
ACM to reassess the feasibility of the America’s Cup in Valencia in 2009 03-10-2007
As a consequence of the uncertainty and the delays arising from the Golden Gate Yacht Club Law suit in New York, AC Management (ACM) is concerned that the feasibility of organising the next America’s Cup in Valencia in 2009 has been effectively compromised.Desafio Español throws itself onto the pyre:
Statement from Desafío Español
Regarding the press release issued today by ACM in which declares its concern about the “the possibility of postponing the event to a later date”, Desafío Español states its unconditional support to the Spanish and Valencian authorities, the Defender and the Organisation of the America’s Cup.
Desafío Español understands that the organisation of a sporting event of this magnitude must be done without haste and under the best consensus atmosphere between all the parties involved.
For this reason, Desafío Español shows its conformity with the proposed conversations between ACM, the Defender, the Challenger of Record, the competitors and the Spanish Authorities in which Desafío Español will participate actively.
Desafío Español also hopes that, as a result of these conversations, the 33rd America’s Cup can be celebrated in the initially proposed dates.
Meanwhile, Desafío Español continues working towards the next edition of the America’s Cup, configuring the structure of the team and developing its plans.
--Ends-- [Source: Desafio Español]
Meanwhile TEAMORIGIN trademark themselves, no doubt praying they get the opportunity to merchandise. [Source: UK Intellectual Property Office]
So with little hope for an America's Cup before 2011, we at The Afterguard are seriously considering crawling back under our stone and enjoying another vacation... of course what all this activity really means is that a resolution will likely be found before the end of the week. Nowt so strange...
Saturday, 22 September 2007
The Afterguard Looks To The 'Fuxia'
At the end of August, The Afterguard wrote about Fuxia Challenge in an article entitled 'The Future's Bright, The Future's Fuxia ?!?', and as is often our way, at that time we created more questions than answers...
Having felt we might have been a little too light-hearted in our approach, we ended our piece by reflecting that we had made previous efforts to gain more information from Fuxia Challenge, and asking that if Paolo Rivelli should read our article, would he care to contact us. Paolo has been the sole individual we have noted to be associated with much recent Italian media coverage.
By the wonders of the internet, Paolo has been in touch, and provided us with an English response to a number of our questions. We're grateful to Paolo for struggling with The Afterguard's native tongue - our over reliance on Google translation can render Paolo's melodious language almost incomprehensible!
We began by asking Paolo to explain the background to the team and who was principally concerned with it's formulation:
"The idea of Fuxia Challenge was given birth by Sport Xtension, a firm specialized in the development of creative concepts for the sports industry and a company of which I am CEO."
Sport Xtension Ltd. is a company founded in the UK in July of 2007 [source]
"An international team of marketing, media, finance and sailing experts have worked together to realize this; in the specific this project is born by an intuition of one of the most important & skilful sports & marketing practitioners in Italy, Marcel Vulpis, who is also the President of Fuxia Challenge."
Marcel also appears to have involvement in the Italian website sporteconomy.it [source]
"Our aim is to create an innovative approach to the America’s Cup, that basically will promote greater value for its strategic partners through a specific target audience. Fuxia Challenge will assemble an entirely female team from among the world’s top ranking sailors for the first time ever in America’s Cup history; it will be the Challenge of Marketing to Women, heavily orientated to fashion and glamour."
The Afterguard had noted mention of Italian & internationally famed actress Ornella Muti in a recent Italian press article, and we asked Paolo to explain her involvement with Fuxia challenge.
Miss Ornella Muti
"Miss Ornella Muti accepted to be the Patroness of the Fuxia Challenge as she is a strong supporter of efforts to improve the status of all women around the world. Fuxia Challenge will be linked to an international charitable organization that is also engaged in this aim."
We asked Paolo to comment on some of the female sailors being associated with Fuxia Challenge in the Italian press, and he confirmed that those identified were the subject of mere speculation, as are the yacht clubs thus far connected to Fuxia in the media.
"At the moment I cannot confirm any of the statements regarding the team's members currently signed. The team will be announced after the first half of October following confirmation of Fuxia Challenge's Yacht club."
"Our deadline to officially announce our participation in the 33rd America's Cup is the 31st of December... and will depend on securing sponsorship to meet our budget of €55/60 Million."
We were relieved to have confirmation from Paolo that the team intends to have a female skipper, despite Italian media suggestions of different needs, which turned out to be "more a taunt of a journalist than a serious idea". We believe a number of Italian sailing forums will be suitably relieved also!
On the subject of the apparel our previous article focused on, Paolo explains,
"On the 19th of September 2007 we launched a co-marketing operation together with an Italian Volleyball club, Prisma Taranto; the rules of the game allow the sweeper to wear a different shirt from the rest of the team and the event was a press presentation of the Fuxia Challenge shirt that the Prisma Taranto sweeper is going to wear during official matches in the Italian Volleyball premier league. The shirt promotes Fuxia Challenge but is not representative of the official uniform of the Fuxia Challenge Team."
There is a stronger connection between Fuxia Challenge and Prisma Taranto than first appears, more of which will become evident in the future; presently Fuxia Challenge will benefit from the international exposure through outlets such as the Sky Sports network that the exciting Italian Volleyball league generates.
This will come as welcome news to one friend of The Afterguard's who, on publication of our original article, pondered on the fact that the garment illustrated appeared tailored for the male form. Mystery solved, Trevor!
Finally, The Afterguard asked Paolo to reflect on the reluctance by much of the media (ourselves included) to accept the serious intentions of those behind Fuxia Challenge.
"I believe that most of the reluctance to accept the concept of Fuxia Challenge is due to its innovative approach that breaks the traditional attitude of the world of this America's Cup, indeed this team intends to revolutionize the way the Cup has been perceived to date."
"More than someone’s dream or a design project, Fuxia Challenge is much more real than you could think; it is an initiative with an innovative approach, a media platform that will allow the interested parties to have direct contact with a specific target audience, the female consumers, that is much wider than just the enthusiasts of this sport, to maximize the return on investment. Isn’t that what the AC Management and the corporate sponsors that invest in this event are looking for?"
The Afterguard's heartfelt thanks go to Paolo Rivelli, Institutional Relations Director of Fuxia Challenge, for his time and answers. We hope Paolo and the team will keep us up to speed as to the progress of Fuxia Challenge, a very different America's Cup team.
Saturday, 15 September 2007
America's Cup - ACM Share (Some Of?) The Love
ACM has today posted a release concerning the distributed profits from the 32nd America's Cup.
The Afterguard has one observation. As detailed in point 7. of the release, ACM have closed the accounts of the 32nd America's Cup to expedite the payment of proceeds to the challenging teams (which may or may not provide more of the fence-sitters with the funds required to formally challenge for the 33rd America's Cup); With the 32nd America's Cup Online Auction yet to finish, wouldn't it have been better to wait until the income generated was known? Or isn't the divestment of ACM's assets a contributory factor? Closed accounts would suggest that by some calculation the income generated isn't being divided amongst the interested parties.
The release can be read on the America's Cup website, Here.
The 32nd America’s Cup competitors receive their share of EUR 66.5 million profit 15-09-2007
By creating a single structure managing both the Challenger Selection Series and the America’s Cup Match and by developing a professional marketing strategy, the organisers of the 32nd America’s Cup succeeded in creating a net surplus to be shared with all competitors of the 32nd event.
This EUR 66.5 million surplus comes from a total revenue of EUR 240 million, generated largely through the city bid and the four year sponsorship programme, but also through TV rights, the hospitality programme and the concessions and marinas of Port America’s Cup.
“This is a significant result and by providing the funds to the teams now, we aim to help them prepare their 33rd campaign, while also giving continuity to the event,” said Michel Hodara, CEO of ACM.
Ernesto Bertarelli, syndicate head of Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, commented: “The vision for the 32nd America's Cup was to create a fantastic sporting occasion, in Europe, with a viable commercial business model comparable to other major global sporting events.”
The America’s Cup delivered on both accounts with this edition being arguably the best ever with over 4 billion TV viewers and 6 million visitors, watching extremely close racing. Bertarelli now looks to the future: “Our vision for the 33rd America’s Cup is to create an even greater sporting occasion for 2009 with an exciting new class of boats and to build upon the successes of the 32nd edition.”
THE STRATEGY AND STEPS TAKEN TOWARDS THIS NET SURPLUS DISTRIBUTION:
--Ends--
Friday, 14 September 2007
The Afterguard: TEAMORIGIN Mean Business
Firstly, apologies to our readers - technology has cramped The Afterguard's style somewhat (we were unable to blog live from the show floor), and by now what we have to report will likely be general knowledge... However, few will have reported the team's vital statistics within touching distance of GBR75, so we'll press on regardless...
The Team presented to the world today left The Afterguard in no doubt of the serious intent within TEAMORIGIN. While personal preferences many vary, nobody could honestly deny that TEAMORIGIN have assembled a great team; the deck crew boast the experience of over 35 previous America's Cup campaigns, the design team over 20; & that's without considering experience of other sailing competitions. There's a strong British contingent, along with compatriots of the Team Director. Of obvious benefit is the cohesion present - many of the crew have sailed and worked together, most notably a number of the ABN-Amro team with which Mike Sanderson enjoyed such success.
The biggest surprise of the day came not with regard to crew - Sir Keith Mills has an Investor/Partner, Charles Dunstone of the Carphone Warehouse. This bolsters the financial foundations of TEAMORIGIN, making this no longer a single-benefactor operation. No announcements were made regarding official sponsors, but that isn't surprising considering the current legal status of the 33rd Cup. No doubt Charles' input will ensure a smooth ride for the team during the continuing financial odyssey while his enthusiasm for sailing will be welcomed.
Ben Ainslie is confirmed as Helmsman for the team. We spoke briefly with Ben at the show who confirmed that his TEAMORIGIN and Olympics commitments required very exacting organisation in 2008; more than his words, his focus & determination was palpable and might well explain at least some of his success on the water. We look forward to watching him help develop the TEAMORIGIN challenge.
Overall there was a strong sense of relief from the principle and backroom members of TEAMORIGIN that their component parts had now been publicly identified, and that the project was no longer a plan, but flesh and bones; almost as entertaining as watching GBR75 reaching furiously on the waters of Southampton was to watch the emotion the sight generated amongst the shore crew present - a lot had obviously been put into this day, and the team can feel justifiably proud of their performance; of course everything has yet to be achieved in competition, but they're off and running.
We at The Afterguard have frequently questioned the 33rd Protocol's issue concerning the Defender's inclusion in the challenger series; Former ACM man, Marcus Hutchinson (TEAMORIGIN's Director of External Affairs & Communications) advised us to carefully consider the implications of not just clause 11 (concerning the challenger regattas), but also the ambiguity contained within clause 12 (covering the 'defender series') leaving us with a final tantalising comment, "Watch this space".
Andy Claughton confirmed that he would be flying to Valencia for a September 15th meeting concerning the new boat class, and was keen to see what was open to negotiation and how large the design box would be; of particular concern to him was the need to refine the design's incorporation of a sliding keel in the 12 months or so given to getting the 90' vessel sailing.
We were delighted that Sir Keith himself had a few moments to spare for us, during which he reflected with pride on the team he had assembled to undertake the challenges ahead; when asked to choose to define himself as either a hands-on or hands-off team principle, Sir Keith defined himself as the former, reflecting that he had selected talented individuals to concern themselves with the day to day running of things, while he was on hand to provide direction and support in any way he could.
Sir Keith Mills, Ben Ainslie, Charles Dunstone, Mike Sanderson
Key Personnel
Team Principle: Sir Keith Mills - GBR
Partner & Investor: Charles Dunstone - GBR
Team Director: Mike Sanderson - NZL
Sailing Team
Helmsman: Ben Ainslie - GBR (prev. Emirates Team New Zealand [2004], One World Challenge [2000])
Tactician: Iain Percy - GBR (prev. +39)
Strategist/Traveller: Rob Greenhalgh - GBR (Prev. ABN-Amro)
Navigator: Ian Moore - GBR (prev. Emirates Team New Zealand)
Aft Grinder/Strategist: Andrew Simpson - GBR (Prev. +39)
Mainsheet Trimmer: Neal McDonald - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003], Sydney 95 [1993]).
Trimmer: Robbie Naismith -NZL (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing [2007/2003], Team New Zealand [2000/1995], New Zealand Challenge [1992])
Grinder:
Chris Brittle - GBR (Prev. +39)
David Carr - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2005], GBR Challenge [2003])
Ian Weighell - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003])
Pawel Bielecki - POL (Prev. +39)
Mastman:
Julien Cressant - FRA (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing [2007], Le Defi Areva [2003], 6' SENS Le Defi [2000])
George Skuodas - GBR (Prev. Mascalzone [2007], K-Challenge [2005], GBR Challenge [2003])
Mid Bowman: Kevin Batten - NZL (Prev. BMW Oracle [2007/2003], Tag Heuer [1995], Spirit of Australia [1990])
Bowman:
Justin Slattery - IRL (Prev. K-Challenge [2004])
Matt Cornwell - GBR (Prev. Areva Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003])
Boat Captain: Nick Bice - AUS (Prev. Young Australia [2000])
Design/Technical
Principle Design: Juan Kouyoumdjian - ARG, & his full office (of over 30 people) (Prev. BMW Oracle [2007], Prada [2003], Le Defi [2000/1995]; not in attendance as currently racing in the Star Europeans).
Design Coordinator: Andy Claughton - GBR (Prev. Emirates Team New Zealand)
Technical Director/Navigator: Stan Honey - USA (prev. ABN-Amro)
Aero Director: Mikey Ickert - DEU (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing)
Mast & Spars: Bruce Thompson - NZL (prev. Sparcraft)
CFD: Dr Rodrigo Azcueta - ARG
Performance VPP: Gonzalo Kouyoumdjian - ARG
Head of Structural Design: Andrea Avaldi - ITA
Shore Team
Shore Operations Director: David Duff - NZL
Head Of Boat Operations: Tim Hacket - USA
Boat Builder: Pete Britt - AUS, James Walker - GBR
Head of Tender Operations: Mike Heffer - NZL
Head of Sail Operations: Andrew Witherspoon - NZL
Sailmaker: Paul Gudgeon - GBR/NZL
Rigger: Ian Goldsworthy - GBR
Rig Components: Sid Barker - NZL
Head Chef: Henry Lynskey - NZL
Central Services
Commercial Director: Nick Masson - GBR
Director of Marketing & Events: Leslie Ryan - IRL
Director of External Affairs & Communications: Marcus Hutchinson - IRL/GBR (prev. ACM)
Account Director: Jerry Hill - GBR
Account Director: Adam Walker - GBR
Account Director: Andy Green - GBR
Head of Marketing Services: Daniel Miles - GBR
Merchandising Manager: Serena Gosling - GBR
Events Manager: Emma Ramply - GBR
Commercial Co-ordinator: Emily Jennings - GBR
Finance Director: Dermot Heffernan - GBR
Finance Controller: Diana Puketapu - NZL
HR Director: Viv Jarvis - GBR
HR Manager: Carolyn Spencer - GBR
HR Co-ordinator: Michelle Whittington - GBR
Legal Counsel: Robert Datnow - GBR
Project Manager: Martin Rust - GBR
PA to Sir Keith Mills Debbie Cavanagh - GBR
PA to Mike Sanderson: Charlotte Kootstra - HOL
Apologies to those of the 57-strong ORIGIN team we have omitted - purely down to sore thumbs! Our thanks go to the team for their hospitality.
Inset image: 'TEAMORIGIN Open The Southampton Boatshow' Photo © The Afterguard 2007
The Afterguard - Bringing Live Reports From TEAMORIGIN America's Cup Presentation At Southampton Boat Show
It's that time of year again - the roads of Southampton have been clogged with mega yachts sat precariously atop articulated lorries; hideously expensive & environmentally unfriendly temporary structures have been erected; faces have been painted, best bib & tucker pressed, speeches rehearsed... It's time to get the show on the road - the Southampton Boat Show opens today.
The Afterguard will be on hand to attend the TEAMORIGIN crew & training vessel launch, & technology allowing, we'll bring live reports from the show floor. We'll (annoyingly) overhear the questions posed to the team by the well informed & will note the responses. We'll even bring The Afterguard's instamatic (you think we're joking!) to bear on anyone willing to stand still long enough...
Check back at or shortly after 10:00 (GMT).
Thursday, 13 September 2007
America's Cup Sale Now On - Everything Must Go!
The Afterguard's polite reminder - Don't Be Late! - at 10:00 (CET) today, Thursday 13th September, 2007, America's Cup Management (ACM) begin their online auction of Assets From The 32nd America's Cup.
Yup folks, when the auction ends on Saturday 15th at 18:00 (CET), the 32nd America's Cup will be just a distant memory. The cupboards will be bare, and presumably ACM will begin 'investing' the Challenger's entry fees on new tables, chairs, etc. - the old ones would never do, they were just so '32'.
Details can be found on the special ACM Auction site: Here.
Studying the 'bid catalogue' you'll get to flick through nearly 900 individual lots, with Ribs; Golf Buggies; Battery powered trains; enough Bicycles to keep most of China pedalling; Electric Tricycles; Desks; Chairs; bar stools; lounge, office & Patio Furniture; Flags; Desktop PCs & Laptops; Plasma, LCD & CRT Screens; and even scale remote-control models of the 32nd Cup competitor vessels (don't these things get sold off to benefit charitable causes usually? Ok, we'll hush). For those with suitably sized swimming pools, you can even bid for your own 'Luis Vuitton' inflatable buoy. Then there are also 'structures' - pyramid refreshment tents, 'waves', why there's even a 'statue' of the Auld Mug for those too lazy to wrestle the real one from Alinghi's grasp. Oh, and magazines. No auction is complete without the obligatory lots of 'various' magazines.
For The Afterguard's take on events, we respectfully refer readers to our previously published story: 'The America's Cup - There's Everything To Pay For'.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
The Afterguard's Interpretation Of TEAMORIGIN's Statement
On Tuesday 4th September 2007, TEAMORIGIN released a statement setting out its view of issues concerning the Protocol and subsequent developments for the 33rd America's Cup; The Afterguard reproduced the release at the time in full (see Here) and promised to return with its take on the statement.
Setting out our stall
Firstly, its only right that The Afterguard nails its colours to the mast and defines its own perspective, pre-protocol:
The Afterguard exists due to a passion for the exhilaration of watching great yacht racing, and a respect for the standards required and upheld by crews in the America's Cup; as a British site, the historic significance is appealing to us also. It's of great embarrassment to those in Great Britain who care that the Cup, initially contested in this country, has never been held by a British team; the reasons for this have been many and varied over the course of time, but even the most critical would (hopefully) concede that this fact does not truly reflect our nation's history and undeniable connection to the sea - recent results in Olympic trials in China are, we would like to think, more representative of our standards of seamanship.
With this in mind, we acknowledge that we are unashamedly and unapologetically 'pro' any British organisation that seeks to address this anomaly by challenging for the cup - and this time around it has fallen to TEAMORIGIN. We support this new team fully, but hope that in the best of British character, we are seen to remain fair and balanced - and supportive of all good sport, regardless of the nationalities concerned. We would like to think that we wouldn't flinch from calling any team representing our nation to task if it failed to uphold the sportsmanship and sense of fair play we claim to hold so dear - it could be no other way.
We would also care to draw attention to TEAMORIGIN's founder, Sir Keith Mills, his background and status within the sports industry, as we believe that the statement released recently can be best understood with reference to its team principle.
Although it often appears hastily thrown-together, some of The Afterguard's content is provided with good reason; take for example our profile of Sir Keith Mills (read it Here). We don't perceive Sir Keith as a dyed-in-the-wool sailor whose infectious enthusiasm for the open sea has led over many many years to his forming a 'band of brothers' to do battle for some silverware and to right the wrongs of Britain's history in the Cup. He is an undeniably enthusiastic sailor, and many envy his experience in competing and winning (as crew) the 1999 Clipper Round The World Yacht Race, or might admire his support of his Clipper crew's young skipper, Alex Thomson, but Sir Keith is no Sir Robin Knox, he's first and foremost a successful business entrepreneur.
In the business world his numerous successes outweigh any failures significantly; success in the advertising industry was followed in the world of customer loyalty programmes not once, in the guise of Air Miles, but more recently for a second time, with the UK's highly successful Nectar loyalty scheme.
Sir Keith has since taken on perhaps sport's greatest (business) challenge, mounting a successful bid to host the Olympic Games. This is a feat not of gold, silver and bronze, but of business politics of literally global proportions; and for those unaware, this was done in the face of what ranged from at best typical British indifference to at times harsh criticism and pessimism for what was generally regarded an 'outside' chance; yet the bid was successful (and for a brief while at least the British public showed its gratitude).
Don't be misled into thinking an Olympics bid is all about ensuring the right running-track surface; the Olympics is unique in presenting a huge civil development programme undertaken on a uniquely short time scale, incorporating urban development, transportation infrastructure building, renewal and regeneration, sponsorship, fundraising and much much more. Sir Keith has been busy over the last 3 or 4 years changing the face of large parts of the city of London in a way which will affect generations to come. To get national & local government & officials representing dozens of foreign organisations to reach consensus, to pander to or otherwise meet the disparate requirements of IOC officials and other organisations, takes a particular and well-honed set of skills - the ability to build a team around himself to share the burden, a diplomacy to soothe away the concerns of others and an ability 'to cut through numerous layers of crap' (our choice of words) to get things done, amongst them. Sir Keith, while a diplomat, is no shrinking violet, and appears to face harsh criticism well, whether from a disaffected UK public in relation to the 2012 Olympics, or as recently as in the last two weeks when not always acting to dampen media speculation over board decisions (or not) concerning team manager Martin Jol at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, where Sir Keith is a non-executive Director (Note for US readers: a top 5 UK team in the sport of Soccer - our national obsession which faces media scrutiny and criticism like no other).
He may have established an enviable reputation in the sports industry, but Sir Keith remains a business man first and foremost; he makes no apology for the impact of money on sport, and this is clear in the way he deals forthrightly with public criticism of the status quo during a recently broadcast BBC TV transmission (follow our story Here to watch the programme stream - further evidence of method in The Afterguard's madness). There's much to be learned from watching Sir Keith's defence of the impact of big business on sport.
When The Afterguard set out to follow the fortunes of Sir Keith's TEAMORIGIN, we were under no illusion that the team's founder sought to be the next Dame Ellen; his aspirations likely sit more akin to that of F1's Bernie Ecclestone; Sir Keith sees much sport in terms of large scale revenue-generating extravaganzas, and if there's some urban development to be undertaken, so much the better. Bernie builds race tracks, Sir Keith builds Olympic Villages and aspires to build America's Cup ports. Funnily enough, Bernie just bought Queens Park Rangers (along with Renault F1's Flavio Briatore), another UK soccer team. Neither men are strangers to seeking to control the finances of sports.
What does distinguish Sir Keith from Bernie, as it distinguishes TEAMORIGIN from teams such as Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing, is financial resource. Our investigations suggest a net worth of approximately £200 Million; Sir Keith himself has admitted the figure is 'North of £100 Million' although he states he doesn't know where others get their figures from. We hope Sir Keith will forgive us for pointing out that this is a significantly less than the billions attributed to Bertarelli, Ellison or indeed Ecclestone. And a net worth of £200 Million means much less liquidity, cash ready to dedicate to crew salaries, boat design and marketing campaigns.
We suspect that behind Sir Keith's every movement and utterance is an understanding of the implications to his team's financial well being. If all this focus on finance dismays some, let's not forget this team has yet to officially announce more than Mike Sanderson as Team Director - the time for sailing talk is still to come. TEAMORIGIN has a number of purposes; to win the Auld Mug, yes, but also in doing so to seize the spoils that it entails. Sir Keith is an entrepreneur let us not forget.
The Afterguard believes that with this perspective on the background and motivations behind the formation of TEAMORIGIN, the reasoning behind the team's early challenge and supportive stance towards ACM is largely self-explanatory.
Picking Our Way
It is The Afterguard's opinion (nothing more) that the recent statement represents the team principle's take on affairs, and were we given the opportunity, we might précis it thus: Cut the crap guys, it's only sailing; us little guys can't afford to stand around while you two rut; let's put a show on and keep the America's Cup on the road. It's probably just as well we haven't been afforded the opportunity.
The recent statement from TEAMORIGIN sets out the agenda for the Team Member Introduction at the start of the Southampton Boatshow in a little over a week's time; it's a prime opportunity for the newly-formed team to grab some headlines, talk the talk and catch the eye of potential sponsors; any already on board will provide a furrowed brow or two to soothe over recent headlines - in other words, not the time for the Cup to be dragged through the mud in court.
The statement is complementary of ACM's conduct in the 32nd America's Cup (cutting through the afore-mentioned 'mud', it played well to the media, provided great sport and made money; not much to complain about there). It speaks often of 'commercially viable', 'formats', 'modernisation', 'hospitality and sponsor programmes' - not much disguising of a businessman who knows how to run a successful bid to stage the Olympic Games. Sailing fans were probably not the team's first thought as they composed their statement.
If anyone reading the statement was shocked to read of TEAMORIGIN's support for ACM, then they clearly didn't see the ACM/TEAMORIGIN release of 23rd July 2007, when the team's challenge was officially accepted. If you don't agree, you don't sign up. If you sign up, you don't disagree. This is pretty simple logic really.
What did raise the odd Afterguard eyebrow was the statement's calling of BMW Oracle Racing and the urging of GGYC and the team to withdraw their suit. But TEAMORIGIN has backed ACM all along, and the court case is bad for business; especially for (but not restricted to) a new team with (relatively) limited funding and a need to risk-manage potential sources of sponsorship.
TEAMORIGIN see ACM's side of the COR debacle. The Afterguard see this as a row over semantics; it's not ideal, but it's true that Desafio Espanol is hardly a bolt from the blue, and haven't we become used to the Iberian - or should we say 'Valencian' - way of these things happening? So sometimes a little magic keeps the various parties singing from the same hymn sheet. Salt Lake City anyone?
We'll break cover for just a brief moment at this point. Changes to protocol had been intended for a number of years, according to recent ACM statements. Valencia for the 33rd was a badly kept secret (though Spanish politics kept it at least in the balance for a while). We doubt it was difficult not to foresee a CNEV-like requirement. It says little for the great minds involved that a little more smoke and mirrors couldn't have been applied to make this all run more smoothly. It's a costly oversight for all involved (not least to The Afterguard's keyboard!).
TEAMORIGIN claim to have been treated fairly by ACM and from their perspective they see the organisation to have acted properly. Well they would, having been accepted as challengers. BMW Oracle Racing provide an alternative opinion, and we see how it appears to each party. We'll let the judge decide if BMW Oracle Racing's case is proven.
As to boats, well... The situation has changed since the Protocol's introduction. Those on board are now promised influence over decisions; those who refuse to play along can't expect to be asked to contribute; it's not squeeky-clean, and that's regrettable, but TEAMORIGIN express they are content with the situation. They challenged. They would. There's nothing inherently wrong or indeed surprising in that.
The Afterguard does struggle with the interpretation presented by TEAMORIGIN when it comes to, in our opinion, the most contentious aspect of the original protocol; the impact of the 'one boat per team' limitation on the 'series' to determine the final challenger. We understand TEAMORIGIN's enthusiasm to limit costs by employing enough people to crew only one boat, and can see how that might help all budget-concious teams, and perhaps level the playing field (slightly).
We also understand that with such a restriction, the Defender is entitled to wish not to be disadvantaged by such a rule, and so must seek a means of racing against challengers. But we have now read the same question regarding the potential for unfair elimination (and more) posed several times, and each official answer says to us 'we have no answer'. We say there is no fair one boat proposition on the table, and we are struggling to understand why any of the officially challenging teams to date would accept this, TEAMORIGIN included.
The TEAMORIGIN statement includes:
It allows for regular official racing to be run in Valencia. Teams may race their opponents in practice whilst simultaneously running parallel hospitality and sponsor programmes.
Okay, revenue-generating opportunities duly recognised. Pre-regattas, a challenger series, America's Cup On Ice, whatever - spectacle is good.
But UITG/Desafio/ETNZ/Shosholoza/TEAMORIGIN, you've each agreed to participate in qualifying heats where you'll face the hot favourite, who you can't beat by winning, who can eliminate you by racing well, and can inadvertently allow your opponents to progress (possibly at your expense) through the competition if the defenders have a bad day. As Queen Victoria came to know only too well, 'there is no second' in the America's Cup. Have we (and many other commentators) missed something fundamental here?
The sport for example?
Our only hope is that the temperately-natured Michel Hodara was thinking about this specifically when he referred to the possibility that the 33rd Protocol might have been too short and simple (read our coverage Here). Otherwise, we feel all the fuss over 'sham' CORs is nothing in comparison to the apparent taking of a major sporting event and turning it into little more than a pot-luck duck shoot. Every time ACM explain the situation as the only route to a fair chance for the defender, we hear 'one boat can't work fairly for all'. Read our coverage of the 'non-answer' to the same question posed Here & Here. Oh, and Here also. Oh, and we even got to ask the question ourselves out of sheer exasperation Here (we're awaiting any 'official' response but aren't about to suffocate ourselves). As is so often the case, it appears to be not what's said, but what's not said. Again and again. Would somebody please answer the question ASKED and tell us it isn't so? We don't for a moment believe a few commentators on the web have seen something none of the challenging teams have identified, so at least on behalf of The Afterguard, would someone please explain where we're going wrong in our Protocol interpretation?
A Net Cast Further Afield
While The Afterguard is on a roll and breaking normal diplomatic cover and causing offence all round, we must just comment on conduct at the recent Farr 40 World Championships in Copenhagen. We're largely dependent upon the insightful pen of Stuart Alexander, via his wonderful BootsnBoats blog, for a story about conduct (all round) that appears worthy of the playground.
The Afterguard must make it clear that we have the utmost respect for Tom Ehman and believe him to be of unquestionable integrity, but as a litigant against SNG on behalf of GGYC, we are perplexed at his continued stewardship of the Farr 40 World's jury, a competition in which the defendant in his action (Alinghi) was participating. Wouldn't the right thing for the organisers to do have been to suggest that the foreman of the jury step aside having recognised not a likelihood of a conflict of interests coming into play, but the mere possibility that there could be one? It surely wouldn't have been considered a slight whatsoever on Tom to recognise the difficult position he was placed in, and such action would certainly have been understandable. The next thing we hear is that Alinghi, having finished second, did not participate in the prize-giving. We don't yet know Alinghi's explanation for such behaviour, but in view of the only circumstances we can imagine to justify their actions, we send them our good wishes and hope that everyone is ok.
No Offence Intended
We would like to make it clear that we wish nobody ill, that we hope to be seen as fair and balanced, irrespective of our support of one team or another. We love the sport of sailing, we wish to show our respect to all who contribute to it, be it out on the course during the best of times, or when struggling for reconciliation or to uphold fair play during the worst of times. have we excused too many sins? Possibly, but we've grown accustomed to champions mounting a spirited defence. Unless someone wishes to tackle a 21st century rewrite of the Deed of Gift, we should all probably get used to it.
We hope we have the measure of TEAMORIGIN's recent statement when we attempt to echo its perceived sentiment - 'lets go sailing'. To that end, we look forward to TEAMORIGIN's forthcoming crew presentation, when both the team's focus and our own can at last turn to what happens at sea, and the finances can take care of themselves.
Friday, 31 August 2007
The Future's Bright, The Future's Fuxia?!?
Well ok, we at The Afterguard may have got a little carried away with the headline, but frankly it's hard not to with all the hype that's surrounding the all-female crewed Fuxia Challenge. Larry & Tommy, Ernesto & all at the ACM could all well do with taking a leaf out of Fuxia's book when it comes to PR - they sure can make something out of... well, you know the rest.
Frankly, we'd hate to be Italian and disinterested in sailing - the Italian media is so awash with stories about Fuxia that it must be hell!
Earlier this month The Afterguard published the first in its informative series 'Run Your Own America's Cup Campaign'. In our first instalment (read it here), we detailed the initial steps to success:
- Know the rules
- Represent a 'sailing' club
- Have something to sail - a boat preferably
- Make your challenge 'official' (you weren't following closely, were you UITG?)
- What colour will your boat be?
Fuxia's boat will be an... erm... all fuxia affair; sails, hull, keel - the works. Fuxia. - What will your crew wear?
Fuxia's apparel is due to be launched at Italy's Castello degli Aragonesi on 19th September.
You'll need an aspirational figurehead - step forward famed Italian actress Ornella Muti. We suspect she has no connection with the team at all, but simply serves as inspiration.
Crew requirements are also being addressed. Top of the list comes, according to Rivelli, Claire Leroy. Also in the frame, so rumour indicates, is Alessandra Sensini and none other than Katie Spithill - it would make an interesting sideshow to see Katie take on brother James aboard Oracle - no pressure there then, James!
So, there you have it, more flesh on the bones of the Fuxia Challenge. Being entirely sincere for a moment, while much attention has recently been given over to the power struggle(s) for control of the America's Cup by the largest of teams, the spirit of the Cup is perhaps best represented by the smaller 'plucky' teams who, by virtue of their size, take on the greatest challenge and do so with infectious enthusiasm. With that in mind we do wish Fuxia Challenge well - they've stated their intention to challenge by 31st December 2007. We have attempted to contact Paolo Rivelli in order that we might cover his story in his own words, but so far we have heard nothing. If you are reading this, Paolo, drop us a line at the email address at the top of this page - we'd love to hear from you.
In the meantime, when looking for potential sponsorship, do go for those telecom giants like Vodafone, O2 etc - but give Orange a miss, it would never work.
Sources: Various, including Affari Italiani, Mariantic, TempusVitae, Tuttosport, Luna Rossa e Dintorni, amongst others.
Thursday, 30 August 2007
33rd America's Cup - Hopes Fade As Feelings Sour and Tension Mounts
For those not inclined to celebrate victory by Judge & Jury, recent events surrounding the formulation of the 33rd America's Cup must be met with an unhealthy degree of despair.
While forums on the topic are awash with pseudo-legal argument, claim and counter-claim, the true protagonists appear to have done little in the past week to resolve the dispute itself, despite much activity:
- Weds, 22/8/07 GGYC publish release detailing their court filing on 11/7/07. Here
- Thurs, 23/8/07 ACM publish release criticising GGYC for its actions. Here
- Thurs, 23/8/07 Alinghi's website publishes 33rd Protocol timeline. Here
- Fri, 24/8/07 BYM interview: ACM's Michael Hodara strikes conciliatory tone. Here
- Fri, 24/8/07 RTL publish 'defensive' interview with ACM's Michel Hodara. Here
- Tues, 28/8/07 ACM publish Arbitration/Litigation status (up to 24/8/07). Here
- Thurs, 30/8/07 GGYC publish court papers relating to their case against SNG. Here
- Stuart Alexander's excellent BOOTSNBOATS recounts Team Alinghi's call for BMW Oracle Racing's Tom Ehman to step down as chairman of the jury for the Rolex Farr 40 World Championships in Copenhagen. Despite Alinghi's claim of conflicting interests, Ehman did not acquiesce to their demands.
- Switzerland's Le Temps carried the responses of both Brad Butterworth (of Alinghi) and Russell Coutts (of BMW Oracle Racing) to the same interview questions concerning the row. Butterworth, in particular, appears almost emotional in his responses. Hopefully the story will be syndicated to an English-language outlet in due course - the link above is to the French story.
The 33rd Protocol's Arbitration Panel may have a surprise or two up its sleeve, but on the basis of the recent conduct of all concerned, it would be easy to doubt the value to the situation of a construct itself generated under the disputed protocol. It is likely that the next concrete developments will surround the hearing at the New York Supreme Court on Monday 10th September 2007, at which time we might discover if Justice Herman Cahn rules there is a case to be heard, in which case the time scales involved broaden out substantially.
For a trophy recently won by just a single second, the current gulf between defender and next defence appears almost geological in scale.
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Whatever Happened to United Internet Team Germany's Challenge
At a time of little or no official America's Cup activities, The Afterguard ponders what has happened to UITG's 'Official Entry'...
The UITG website carrys a release dated Sunday 5/8/07, referring to an 'early entry allowing more time for preparation', suggesting entry was a done deal. Websites following the America's Cup (press and other) were awash with news of the 'official' German challenge. The Afterguard prepared a news story to coincide with ACM's official confirmation. Yet here we are on Thursday 16/8/07, some eleven days later, and there has been no ACM confirmation.
Now it's that time of year, especially on the European continent, when vacation time can often account for missed deadlines. Yet yesterday, 15/8/07, ACM updated its webpage of officially recognised participants to carry a link to the 'Notice of Entry' (compare our image of the page here to the current one); although the page was updated, ACM chose not to introduce the name of United Internet Team Germany to the list; on that basis we can't claim a lack of attention to the list to account for the absence. Surely, entry fees, paid prior to UITG's announcement, would have found there way to the ACM coffers by now?
We're not sure if UITG chose to announce prematurely, but here at The Afterguard we're grateful for our hesitance to cover the story at the time, choosing instead to await the official confirmation. We'd love to tell you all about UITG's entry, we just can't be sure its actually happened yet! Are ACM doing UITG a disservice, or have UITG done a disservice to the general public?
Inset image: Photo © United Internet Team Germany
Thursday, 2 August 2007
Run Your Own America's Cup Campaign - Part 1
With the lawyers busy doing their warm up exercises, The Afterguard takes the opportunity during this lull in activity to present the first in its series of how to 'Run Your Own America's Cup Campaign'.
Over the coming days, weeks, months & years (yes it really will be that long), The Afterguard will be taking an irreverent look at what it takes to mount a successful America's Cup campaign.
Everything hereafter is alleged and not at all true (The Afterguard has no wish to visit the New York Supreme Court or any other!).
Part 1 - Mounting a Challenge
Novice taxidermists take note: Only if your challenge goes to court will it involve any 'stuffing' - here we refer to the organisational techniques involved in being included in a cup campaign.
It may seem obvious to most, but the first task in presenting a successful campaign is to:
1. Know the rules by which you are governed.
This requires the careful study of the following documents:
i/ The Deed of Gift. It was written many years ago in a time before greed, skulduggery & un-sporting behaviour was known of, so it tends to take a lot for granted; this is good news for the novice team, as it presents a lot of 'wriggle room' - interpreted correctly you can get away with an awful lot even before you have to 'lubricate' your path into the Cup.
ii/ The Protocol. Anything the Deed of Gift appears to suggest unacceptable, the protocol will usually make acceptable. It is a document generated by the current defenders of the cup & which often cleverly contradicts the Deed of Gift while introducing yet further 'wriggle room'. Novice taxidermists take note: there may be an opportunity to practice your stitching skills at this stage, but only once you've successfully won the cup & are now looking to defend it.
2. Arrange to represent a 'sailing club'.
There are a couple of methods to achieving this:
i/ Visit a long-established organisation with an impeccable reputation & convince them there is much prestige in being identified with you (unleash your novice taxidermist if necessary).
ii/ Gather a few mates in a bar and try to think up a name for a new 'sailing' club (be sure to write down some of your ideas before alcohol takes grip, otherwise you might have to repeat the whole process).
Note: If following the second suggestion, be aware that there are a number of conditions to establishing that your new club is acceptable, but these are issues that need not concern you at this stage - everything necessary can be done much later, once you're up and running.
3. Arrange to have something to sail.
*Top Tip*
For this, we strongly recommend a boat - to date, only boats have been known to win the America's Cup. Better still, a boat which complies with the current America's Cup standard (for boats) will do nicely. Don't worry that the current America's Cup standard is known to be changing, nor that it is not clear as to what it is to be changing to. None of this matters right now. The important thing is to go to your bank (piggy or otherwise) and borrow the money to buy someone else's old boat. If the bank manager enquires as to what might be wrong with the boat that someone else no longer wants it, resist the temptation to tell them to discuss the matter with a novice taxidermist; bank managers are highly trained in the technique of 'spotting one a mile off' and it may be wise not to upset any that are agreeable to meeting with you.
4. Making your challenge.
Without a shadow of a doubt, making your challenge official is by far the greatest hurdle you will have faced up to this stage. There are a lot of people involved in running the America's Cup, and having decided to challenge, having created your club and having secured your boat, you really don't want to go and blow it all by asking the wrong person if you can participate. If you don't know who's who, it would be all too easy to go and talk with the owner of another team thinking they were in charge of running the whole show - just imagine the shame!
No, it's important to do your homework first. Have you studied the organiser's website thoroughly? Often, there's a wealth of useful information provided, and in recent years a great deal has been done to simplify the process of applying, as illustrated by the following image, gratefully taken from the current campaign's website (© ACM).
Please note that the helpful red box placed around the email address to which challenge applications should be sent is our inclusion - you won't find it on the actual website itself, so do be sure to look carefully (especially if your name is 'Larry').
Note that the 'entry' page of the organiser's website is quite unhelpful as it doesn't include any instruction as to how to proceed, so now might be a good time to bookmark this Afterguard page so you can return to it should you need.
We recommend formatting your application thus:
to: entry@americascup.com
from: dillusional@fictitioussailingclub.com
Subject: Can we join, please
Dear your excellency,
We would very much appreciate the opportunity to participate in the forthcoming America's Cup, wherever and whenever that might be.
We have joined/have set up/will set up* a bona fide sailing club, as required.
We have a boat. We have a boat that was once suitable for the America's Cup.
We agree to having no rights whatsoever once accepted as a challenger.
Additionally, we have oodles of money and not much sense.
We would very much like to participate in the next cup and we look forward to your approval with much anticipation.
Yours Faithfully,
Your name here.
* delete as applicable.
There you go, you've just met all the qualifying criteria and made your challenge.
Pending acceptance of your entry, do check back soon when we'll cover other areas of your 33rd America's Cup campaign, including, 'How Do You Sail A Boat?' and 'Who Pays For Stuff?'.
Note to regular readers: Don't ask, I'm just in a strange mood.
The America's Cup - There's Everything to Pay For
ACM provides details of an Auction of items from the 32nd America's Cup.
You can imagine the scene, you've just come to the end of a four year struggle to successfully organise a major global sporting event, no doubt with weeks of tying loose ends up still ahead; no sooner is the cup held aloft do you learn that you've got to do it all over again, only this time in a 2 year time frame... then news reaches you that there's a court action challenging your every decision, so things are going to be even more complicated. The good news is you've pretty much spent the past 4 years accumulating all that you need for the next campaign, so you don't have to worry about that. At the very least, you'd think your boss would let you hang on to your desk and chair to work from.
But this is the America's Cup, and there's sponsorship money to squander. So you decide to arrange an auction of everything that's beginning to look a bit tatty - perhaps you have a new colour scheme in mind for the office, or you simply see an opportunity to rid the organisation of that golf buggy you might have accidentally 'pranged' on one of those cerveza-fuelled late night races around the car park.
All that is conjecture, what is fact is that ACM now have a live website with details of their forthcoming auction, which you can visit here.
A recent press release detailed the lovelies on offer:
Valencia, 30 July 2007
Following the end of the competition on the water and the dismantling and packing of what was a successful event, some of the physical assets of the 32nd America's Cup will be put up for sale through a capital asset auction company.
The organisers of the 32nd America's Cup acquired numerous capital assets and despite last week's announcement that Valencia will be the Host City to the 33rd America's Cup, some of these assets will now be sold, and the revenue generated distributed in accordance with the Protocol for the 32nd America's Cup.
Among the items for sale are some of the boats used by the Regatta Operations department to organise the races, but also varied electronic items (plasma screens, computers, servers, televisions, etc), office furniture, vehicles (trucks, golf carts, scooters), catering equipment, etc. A few memorabilia items will also be part of the online auction.
The auction, exclusively online, will take place during three days in September.
So there we have it, irrefutable proof that the ACM's dieticians and nutritionists have ordered the management to go on a strict diet for the duration of the 33rd cup campaign, as evidenced by the auctioning of their catering equipment; it must be that, because we know the catering equipment manufacturing industry well, and we know their goods are designed to last a lot longer than 4 years!
And look see, there's more. The organisers of the America's Cup don't see the need to hang on to boats next time around. Does anyone know if the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone plan a format change to F1 at all? Perhaps spinnakers might make an appearance?
We also noted that there will be a few memorabilia items on offer, so we've raided the Afterguard's piggy bank in preparation; we suspect, however, that we're going to be disappointed to learn that the alleged availability of 'a pair of slacks belonging to Ernesto Bertarelli with Larry Ellison's teeth imprints on the backside' will turn out simply to be malicious rumour.
