RAS AL-KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates: America’s Cup defender Alinghi on Saturday dismissed claims by rivals Oracle that the Gulf emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah was unsafe for the next edition of yachting’s most prestigious race.
Alinghi team head Ernesto Bertarelli said Oracle’s statements on Ras Al-Khaimah, one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), read like a “trailer of a Hollywood movie.” “This is a fantastic venue for the America’s Cup,” insisted Bertarelli, the Swiss biotech billionaire.
“It is work in progress, but what has been achieved so far is second to none. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be here and I can’t wait to get sailing.”
He added: “Some of the things I see from BMW Oracle read like the trailer of a Hollywood movie, do they really think we and the rest of the world ignore the fact that 40 percent of the world oil traffic goes through the Strait of Hormuz and as many goods are coming in to provide for what is the fastest growing region in the world over the last 10 years?
“If the Strait or this area had any security issues, we would know about it. So I say: Come on BMW Oracle, Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and Tom Ehman; let’s get real and let’s get sailing. Stop inventing things for the sake of it.”
Oracle’s representative, the Golden Gate Yacht Club, said earlier this month that “in light of the developing situation in the Arabian Gulf region, Ras Al-Khaimah is particularly unsuitable.” It called on the New York Supreme Court to order the race instead be held in the Spanish Mediterranean port of Valencia, where the last America’s Cup, won by Alinghi, took place in 2007.
Alinghi and Oracle have been engaged in a two-year legal battle over the next edition of yachting’s premier event.
