Slower, less manoeuvrable boats means missing beat
Thanks to the help of the Italian media and Google translate there were few surprises in yesterday’s announcement of the America’s Cup Protocol.
Much of Team New Zealand’s broader plans for the event had leaked out over the past three months since the Kiwi boat swept to glory in Bermuda, leaving Grant Dalton with only the gaps to fill in at the so- called big reveal.
For the most part, Team NZ and Luna Rossa have come up with a strong event. They appear genuinely committed to creating a set of fair and transparent rules in keeping with the founding principles of the event.
But there is one key component, possibly the most important component, that will continue to be a divisive talking point over the next four years — the boat.
The news that the event would be sailed in monohulls had already been confirmed by Team NZ well before the announcement, yet it remained a key focus of questioning for the assembled media.
Aware of some of the criticism that has been floating about over the move, yachting commentator Peter Lester, who steered the question and answer session at the presentation, threw a couple of softball questions at Dalton and Kevin Shoebridge to allow them to explain the decision.
The theory is that the majority of yachties sail monohulls — it’s what they know and relate to, and therefore it will attract more quality challengers to the event. Dalton used a recent survey on specialist sailing website Scuttlebutt to back up his views that the people are demanding a return to monohulls. The survey found of around 5000 respondents, 82 per cent were in favour of the America’s Cup axing the catamarans.
“There’s been no shift of tectonic plates towards multihulls,” Dalton said.
Citing this survey is like relying on the polling in one electorate to decide who should be the next Prime Minister.
Unlikely to have been captured in that sample are the thoughts of regular sports fans, who were drawn to the high- octane, and yes, high- risk, racing in the foiling catamarans.
Those that had the privilege of sailing on the marine marvels in Bermuda almost universally have cast their vote in the “remain” panel.
Peter Burling and Glenn Ashby yesterday spoke enthusiastically about the opportunities to translate new technology to monohulls. But outside of the Team NZ payroll there have been murmurings of discontent.
Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill, who did the media rounds in New Zealand last week spruiking his new book, said he believes monohulls will be a step backwards for the sport, while his compatriot and Oracle teammate Tom Slingsby has also expressed disappointment over the move.
Other sailors have preferred to take the passive/ aggressive social media post approach, using mischievous hashtags to get their views across. # Subtle.
The Team NZ designers tasked with writing the new class rules will undoubtedly come up with something impressive in the parameters they have been given — the latter part of that sentence being the operative point.
The parameters they have been given.
What we will have at the next event in Auckland is slower, less manoeuvrable boats.
In anyone’s language, that surely translates as a miss.