America's Cup skippers reflect and look to future at Monaco Forum

7:31 PM Fri 11 Dec 2009 GMT

'P.J Montgomery opening the debate: The America’s Cup, what is the future for the Challengers at the 2009 World Yacht Racing Forum 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.' onEdition &copy

Two long time friends Alinghi skipper and CEO Brad Butterworth (NZL) and BMW Oracle Racing CEO, Russell Coutts both addressed the America's Cup session at the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco.

Both gave presentations on their respective Defence and Challenge and the participated in a forum on the future, shape and options for the 34th America's Cup.

More than 500 delegates walked into the Grimaldi Forum auditorium for the event's Grand Finale, the long expected America's Cup session.

CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts was first on the podium, on the heels of a magnificent slide show from team photographer Gilles Martin-Raget (FRA), Coutts opened by speaking about the BOR 90, the powerful trimaran his team has designed and built to race in the Match. Featuring for a sail the biggest wing ever built, Coutts called the boat a triumph of imagination, design and engineering. He also paid tribute to Alinghi's catamaran.

Video of the BMW Oracle Racing team at the American`s cup debate: what is the future for challengers at the 2009 World Yacht Racing Forum 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. - onEdition &copy

Coutts spoke with enthusiasm about his trimaran's wing - 'bigger than any wing ever built including airplanes.' Coutts spoke at lengths about his passion for the America's Cup, and the characteristics that made it so dear to him.

'Some of the lessons for the future lie in the past', he claimed. 'Freemantle was one of the most exciting America's Cups ever. Auckland showed the benefits of a custom built harbour, and the importance of a strong local support. Finally, Valencia illustrated the benefits of a global management for both the Challengers series and the America's Cup. All those events were very successful in their way. I have one question', he concluded: 'why change such a successful format?'

'I think in another 100 years, people might look back and see the BOR 90 and Alinghi 5 in the same way we now look at Reliance and Shamrock - as two of the most extreme Cup yachts of all time and landmarks in the Cup's rich history,' he said.

He went on to talk about the disputes that have plagued the Cup since July 2007, but paid a personal tribute to Butterworth, his previous tactician, saying: 'Throughout these past two years, our team has tried not to personalise our differences. The fact that friendships have remained is a sign of how robust the links are between many of the people at BMW ORACLE and Alinghi. Thank you Brad, for still being Brad.'

Looking towards the future, Coutts said establishing neutral management for the event would be critical. In fact, he said, the next America's Cup must be guided by the principles of neutrality, fairness and mutual consent between the Defender and challengers.

'The simplicity of the Deed is its beauty, particularly the words 'mutual consent',' Coutts noted. 'It works.

'The first step to a healthier future has to be truly independent management of the sporting issues. I believe this as does Larry Ellison, who has made a public pledge to have professional and independent management if BMW ORACLE is successful.'

This seemed to match up with what the majority of Cup teams want, if the group panel discussion which followed was anything to go by. A point repeated time and again was that the class of boat, for example, should be something the majority of the teams support.

Coutts closed his talk by emphasising that much of what of the America's Cup community wants can be achieved under the terms of the existing Deed of Gift.

'All it takes is a commitment to Mutual Consent. The two most beautiful words in the Deed of Gift.'

Brad Butterworth , CEO and Skipper of Alinghi, followed Coutts on stage and reminded the audience about the ground rules of the event.

Brad Butterworth, Skipper and Vice-President, Team Alinghi debates The America’s Cup, what is the future for the Challengers at the 2009 World Yacht Racing Forum 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. - onEdition &copy

The four-time America's Cup winner reminded the audience of the ground rules of the 33rd America's Cup: 'The founding document of the America's Cup is the Deed of Gift. The rules of engagement can be amended if the parties agree by mutual consent, the highly successful 32nd America's Cup being one example. However, in this case, there is no mutual consent and that means the rules are those of the defending yacht club and the defender chooses the venue. The challenger decides the boat and the date.'

He spoke with enthusiasm of the Alinghi 5 catamaran, highlighting some of the huge figures the crew sailing onboard is dealing with daily: the gennaker is 1,100m2 - one of three largest in the world - the compression on the mast is equivalent to 50 SUVs stacked on top of each other on a foundation slightly bigger than a tennis ball. The underlying message was that these boats are at the cutting edge of technology and are fun to sail: 'In the future,' he said, 'we should seriously consider a multi-challenge America's Cup on multihulls.'

He confirmed that Alinghi will be ready to race on 8 February 2010 whether the race is in Valencia or in Ras Al Khaimah and expressed a wish: 'I would hope that whoever loses is magnanimous and stands aside to allow the new defender and the challengers to move forward unfettered by lawsuits.'

He outlined Alinghi's vision for the future to the challenger discussion panel that followed, saying: 'I think everyone realises the success of the 32nd America's Cup and it would be a great footprint to build from. If we are lucky enough to win it again, then we would love to have a multi-national, multi-challenge 34th America's Cup and we would like to discuss the type of boat with the challengers.

(L to R) Brad Butterworth, Skipper and vice president, Team Alinghi and Russell Coutts, CEO and Skipper, BMW Oracle Racing at the American`s cup debate: what is the future for challengers at the 2009 World Yacht Racing Forum 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. - onEdition &copy

Nicolo Bastianini, Paul Cayard, Magnus Holmberg, Stephan Kandler, Sotiris Buseas and Marcus Hutchinson then joined Coutts and Butterworth on stage for a debate about the future of the event after AC 33. Talking on behalf of their respective teams, all panellists expressed clear - yet solvable - differences regarding the format, dates and type of boat to use for the next edition of the regatta. On the other hand all panellists agreed that an independent management was necessary, Brad Butterworth reminding his colleagues that its establishment would be difficult due to the complexity of the event.

Led by Paul Cayard, the speakers then unanimously endorsed the idea to rapidly create an official group of challengers and to start working concretely, together, on a Protocol for the next America's Cup. A promising achievement in the current context and after two years of legal battles.

by Alinghi, BMW Oracle and World Yacht Racing Forum