Alinghi relaunch, 2008

San Francisco, California, USA and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Your average non-sailor might be forgiven for thinking America’s Cup is a game of ping-pong rather than arguably the world’s most famous sailing race. The legal battle between the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), home to Alinghi, and US-based Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), home to Oracle, continues, with the GGYC asking a court in New York for a new hearing, set for 15 May. Alinghi is the holder of the America’s Cup and Oracle is the official Challenger. Last week, 24 April, the Tribune de Geneve carried the cheerful headline that Alinghi had agreed to Oracle’s demand for a multi-hull race in 2010. For about an hour it appeared that the bickering might be over and a race could be run.

A terse note arrived in journalists’ mailboxes from the GGYC a little later saying that it had not made a statement immediately after leaving the meeting with the SNG that prompted the Tribune‘s article, because it was busy sailing, but that it was “disappointed” that the SNG had rejected its offer. In particular it was unhappy that the SNG was insisting on a race in May 2010 rather than February 2010 as mandated by the New York court that has been handling the case.

Tuesday  28 April the GGYC issued another, stronger statement noting that that New York court has set a hearing for 15 May 2009 to ask the SNG why it is not complying with the order to organize the race within 10 months, which is February 2010 at the latest. GGYC repeats its contention that the SNG has rejected its proposals.

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