The choice of the Middle East emirate of Ras al Khaimah for the next America’s Cup has been vetoed in the latest in a barrage of law suits lodged by the challenger BMW Oracle in the New York Supreme Court.
Judge Shirley Kornreich ruled that, under the terms of the rules governing the event, drawn up in 1887, the match scheduled for February next year, must either be staged in Valencia or in the southern hemisphere.
Her decision was based on the stipulation in the 1887 Deed of Gift that the America's Cup cannot be sailed in the Northern Hemisphere between Nov. 1 and May 1, not on concerns by the Americans that RAK was unsafe due to its proximity to Iran.
"I don't believe that I have the ability to deviate from the Deed of Gift," Kornreich said.
Meanwhile in RAK:
Alinghi's New Zealand skipper Brad Butterworth accused Oracle of delaying tactics.
"BMW Oracle should clean up their unsportsmanlike behavior with a dose of saltwater and sunshine and challenge for the Cup on the water. Otherwise they should stand aside and let other teams compete," he said. Boo hoo, Larry Ellison is a big meany.
What a joke this race has become......well, it's always been a joke. One design is the closest we get to real racing.
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