America’s Cup aficionado Richard Gladwell reports in a New Zealand Sail World article that the long stalled Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup is expected to be resolved next week.
This brave prophecy follows recent American and Italian news items suggesting that the Defender has applied pressure on the Challenger of Record – the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd represented by Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing Team – to fulfill their obligations under the Challenge they lodged in Barcelona at the end of AC37.
It is now thought that Ainslie has some financial backing . . . with heavy accent on the ‘some’. He still has to get a design team together and try to salvage what he can from the former Ineos Britannia mess, following Sir Jim’s decision to scrap his own independent challenge.
The Gladwell article quotes San Francisco based America’s Cup veteran Tom Ehman who, in his Sailing Illustrated online show said that the two key players involved with the Challenger of Record, would be flying to New Zealand for a meeting next week (possibly this weekend 9/10 August) with their counterparts from the Defender, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The background to all this of course is dominated by Ainslie’s split with his major backer, Jim Ratcliffe and the Ineos Britannia sailing team. Ainslie has continued as Challenger of Record for AC38, but with little apparent financial backing to actually design, build and campaign an America’s Cup challenge.
This lame-duck position has made life difficult for the other potential challengers, whom the challenger of record is meant to represent in negotiations with the America’s Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand regarding the Protocol for AC38.
Lots of ‘ifs and buts’ still looming on the rocky road to AC 38 and whether their will actually be a British boat in the game.
Next week may add some clarity, but don’t count on it . . . after all this is the America’s Cup.
Related Post:
America’s Cup Row – Final word, for now, by Emirates Team New Zealand
Round 2 of the Grant Dalton 38th America’s Cup negotiation row
