Ras Al Khaimah: Alinghi's bio-tech billionaire boss Ernesto Bertarelli has a wide range of reasons why American Challenger BMW Oracle Racing ought to get to Ras Al Khaimah instead of resorting to battles in court.
"The reality lies in the fact that we need to look forward. As leaders in this sport, we need to have the vision to move ahead. And if we can organise a successful America's Cup here, then this will be a fantastic venue for sailing for the future just like Valencia or Auckland," Bertarelli told Gulf News after officially launching his ‘Alinghi 5' on the waters of Ras Al Khaimah on Saturday.
The Alinghi defence for the world's oldest sporting trophy has been in New York courts so far with Challenger BMW Oracle Racing filing a seventh suit earlier this month terming Ras Al Khaimah "unsafe for sailing". The court is scheduled to hear the matter on October 27.
"There are three pending lawsuits and it looks like another one will come up in the near future. I am here to sail and am looking forward to a regatta. I want BMW Oracle to come here first and see for themselves," Bertarelli stated.
"Everyone, including the sailors on BMW Oracle, wants to see these two boats racing against each other to decide the next champion," the Swiss said.
"It is very surprising that the CEO and skipper [Russell Coutts] hosts the RC44 in Dubai and finds it unsafe to sail in Ras Al Khaimah," he added.
Bertarelli insisted that he is not surprised by the attitude from the challenger. "Something very similar happened when we announced Valencia as the venue for 2007. These same people were the ones who said that there was not enough wind and the infrastructure was not adequate in Valencia. A few years later these are the same people who are saying we should shift back to Valencia and they have the same things to say about conditions in Ras Al Khaimah," he said.
"The Deed of Gift talks about sailing and friendly competition between nations. I only hope this doesn't go against the spirit of the America's Cup. My intention is to promote trust and sailing around the world. Sometimes when I read the press releases I feel I am reading the script of a Hollywood movie or something. Do they think we are children?
"At least 40 per cent of the world oil trade moves from the Strait of Hormuz. This is the fastest growing region in the world and if there was a security issue then we would have known about it. I think they should get real and start with the sailing instead of inventing stuff for the sake of it.
"Maybe we will get to see if the catamaran is better than the trimaran or if Swiss technology is better than American technology," he added.
