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America’s Cup defender New Zealand’s team has taken the first step in negotiating a deal on the reinstallation of two main racetracks, struck out after rivals moved on to the sport’s Refereeing Panel.
The Italian Challenger of Record (CoR) had argued that the New Zealand team would have unfair additional access to train in the B and C fields, which are near the coast at the mouth of the Waitematā port, while the challengers raced in further fields.
In a split decision, the panel ruled 2-1 that any fields not equally available to all four teams could not be used for racing.
The New Zealand team has written to Luna Rossa, American Magic and Ineos Team UK proposing that it will not sail or train on courses B and C at a time when the challengers were unable to do so either.
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The team said it had not yet received a response from challengers.
The strikeout of the two courses was a major blow to the event’s goal of having races close to the onshore lookouts and Auckland, which saw great value in the city’s television coverage as a backdrop.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff raised the issue at a previously scheduled and unrelated meeting requested by the CoR on Thursday morning.
“My message to all parties is that they must come together and solve the problems,” Goff said in a statement.
Emirates Team New Zealand / Supplied
A graph showing the routes eliminated for the America’s Cup regattas, after a ruling by the Refereeing Panel.
“Obviously, we want the problems between the defender and the opponents to be resolved,” he said.
“We will work to encourage the resolution of disputes, but in the end it is the teams themselves that must resolve this.”
The CoR, for which Luna Rossa sails, said Stuff in a statement after Thursday’s meeting that a solution did not depend on the challengers.
RED MOON PRADA PIRELLI / Supplied
“Godmother” Tatiana Del Giovane christens Luna Rossa’s new boat in Auckland to complete the challengers’ fleet of regattas.
“Now we hope that he (Goff) has come to a clear understanding of the situation and that he and other institutions proactively find the easiest solution to solve the problem: make B & C available for ALL races,” he said .
“The solution is NOT in the hands of the rivals, but in the hands of ACE (the events arm of Team NZ) and the competent authorities,” said the CoR, which represents all rivals in dealing with the defender.
The Refereeing Panel’s ruling sparked some initial heated remarks, with Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton accusing Luna Rossa of “paranoia” and that he was trying to damage the event.
Challenger of Record representative and veteran cup sailor Brad Butterworth said the New Zealand team had been “caught” by making a change at a meeting in January, without the challenger’s approval.
Kavinda Herath / Things
New Zealand team boss Grant Dalton.
The New Zealand team said that a contractor representing the challengers had been at the meeting and agreed on how the courses would be used.
That meeting accepted the view of the port authorities that for a few days during the series of challenges, the coastal courses could not be used for regattas due to port traffic.
Butterworth had also said that the challengers wanted to use courses B and C, which seemed to leave the door open for a negotiated solution.
The races begin a week before Christmas, when the four teams sail in a preparation regatta in Auckland.
