Next America’s Cup goes to Ras-al-Where?
GENEVA – The duel between Alinghi and US challengers Oracle for the next America’s Cup yacht race will take place in the United Arab Emirates at Ras al-Khaimah in February.
As the defending champion, two-time winners Alinghi had the choice of venue, and decided to switch from Valencia in Spain, partly because of the time of the year in which they will race.
Dubai had long been rumoured to be the venue, but Alinghi chose one of the smallest of the seven emirates in the UAE.
“Our absolute priorities in making this decision are the prevailing weather conditions and the resulting safety that they bring to both teams,” said Alinghi’s New Zealand skipper, Brad Butterworth.
“Ras al-Khaimah has a great building sea breeze during the day, similar to Mediterranean conditions in the summer, making it good for these boats and safe for all concerned,” he added.
The America’s Cup, once a pinnacle of sailing supremacy, and a major tourist attraction, has been marked by court battles and other squabbles to the point that its attraction as a sporting spectacle has all but gone.
Always a rich man’s indulgence, the America’s Cup is now only for the mega-rich.
Alinghi, bankrolled by Swiss biotech billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, recently launched a huge 90-foot, high tech catamaran for the race, marking a departure from the classically shaped single hull.
Rival computer billionaire Larry Ellison’s Oracle has been testing a similarly huge trimaran off the US West Coast for several months.
by Ian Jarrett
Ian Jarrett
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