STANDING IN LINE AT THE AC CONFESSIONAL

Best guess as to the next team to file a "confession" with the AC Arbitration Panel for illicit use of another's designs: Alinghi the Swiss challenger. And to make things even juicier, another Kiwi lawyer who claims like Sean Reeves to be a "AC rules expert" is said to be involved in the new scandal, having negotiated and drafted the agreement to buy the "goods!"

Have no doubt that Laurie Davidson's peddling of Team NZ design data was not confined to the One World Challenge - just take a gander at Marc ("I owe you nothing!") Pajot's former twin-keeled loser SU-59 (or should that be SU-60 since it is an almost perfect duplicate of NZL-60, TNZ's 2000 winner?) and compare it to the sleek, knuckle bow number cruising today and (mostly) staying up with the new Alinghi (CFD modeled) boat #1. And ask yourself how Alinghi, a team without a winning or capable designer, any tank testing, or adequate time to draft modification plans/specs to convert Pajot's mutt, were still able to build and launch a duplicate version of their former team's boat. Even without their confession, the answer is rather obvious to say the least.

Don't be fooled by suggestions that this was accomplished by reverse engineering using photographs of the identically hulled NZL-57/60- the science to accomplish that is just not that good yet and it takes lines plans and detailed specifications to make serious changes like this and still have a boat that floats.

And also don't forget that Alinghi started their mods on 59 BEFORE ever advising the technical advisor McAlpine and obtaining permission to make the changes -- I suspect they got things well under way with the basic changes using the TNZ materials and when that was sufficiently accomplished they filed their "confession" with the Arbitration Panel like the good Catholic lads they purported to be. The now-traditional handslap was duly administered by the arbitrators without slowing Alinghi's morphing of SU-59 into sistership of NZL-60.

Its high time for New Zealanders like Davidson, Coutts, Butterworth, Ross, Reeves, etc. to come clean before the AC is ruined by this non-stop on-slaught of Antipodean scandal, rules violations and ethical lapses. If there was ever a reason for enforcing restrictions confining participation to one's native country, this is certainly it. The real pisser is that these cheaters come forth with confessions, not because of a suddenly discovered mistake, but because news publications like SA discover what has happened and begin to spread the word. Good thing Reporter's Shield Laws protects disclosure and the confidentiality of sources . . . .

02/17/2001