Brad Butterworth reflects on latest America's Cup developments

9:15 AM Fri 13 Nov 2009 GMT

'Skipper and CEO Brad Butterworth' Sail-World (JPJ)

Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth has welcomed the news that next February's America's Cup will be raced in Valencia, but cautions that there are still some rocky legal seas to negotiate.

Butterworth, in Wellington as a guest of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, told The Dominion Post he was delighted his team had accepted the Spanish city as the venue after initially pushing for the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

'I would love it to be in Valencia. I'd love to just agree the rules to sail the boats and finish the thing as it's been designed to do,' Butterworth said. 'But there's still some issues that are outstanding and obviously the lawyers are involved - there's been eight lawsuits so far and there's three of them pending. So I wouldn't say anything's for sure.'

Butterworth, the 50-year-old New Zealander who holds the America's Cup record with 16 consecutive victories, accepted the legal disputes had turned off all but the most devout yachting enthusiasts.

But he moved to put the row into historical perspective. 'It's not the Olympics and it's not a club regatta as such,' he said.

'It's a challenge cup and it's been embroiled in controversy for 150 years. Disillusioned? Yeah, definitely. Probably more from the fact that the legal side of it is incredibly foreign to anybody that has to deal with the sport. Unfortunately it's a part of it and it's stuck in the New York legal system.'

Oracle made headlines earlier this month when their 60-metre, NZ$15million mast collapsed during testing off San Diego. Their space-age design had revolutionised yachting and caught Alinghi on the hop, Butterworth said.

'It's a design contest and the mast on Oracle's boat, it's like a space race and they've come up with this fantastic piece of equipment.

'These things are like nothing that's been done before. We can't get there, we just don't have the time to put that resource together and do it but they've done it and, if it's faster and if they win, then good on them.'

For the full story click here

by www.stuff.co.nz

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Sailing

Brad Butterworth reflects on latest America's Cup developments

Sports/News

Weather Forecasts & Live Reports

Buy & Sell/Classifieds