Smokin' O.P.'s

Some of you have been wondering what the key AC Syndicates have been up to, particularly Oracle. Well, here's some very inside dope: The Oracle folks are up to something interesting by recently asking the AC Arbitration Panel to okay their use of design tools from previous America's Cup syndicates who are no longer competing. To possibly throw the scent off, Oracle is asking, as an example of what they would like to be able to use, for the design materials and tools relating to the four boats they acquired from Aloha and AmericaOne.

Its doubtful Bruce Farr is really interested in anyone else's stuff, especially Aloha's which were uh, a bit off the pace, and when Larry Ellison suggested to Farr last year (at Cayard's urging) that Bruce Nelson be hired to assist in the design effort, his response was a flat "no." It is unlikely that Farr would suddenly want Nelson's design data, tank models, CFD/VPP, modeling, etc., at this late date with designs virtually finalized and every one of the real contenders ready for construction starts.

Why then the Oracle interest and ACAP application? Probably because Farr fucked up and is and has been using stuff HE developed and used for Young America design and testing. He probably never thought or considered that the TNZ or Prada boats were worth considering and when Prada acquired his two 2000 yachts, this validated his mindset that he was right all along. Perhaps he will have a few second thoughts when the other A team boats are uncovered and they look nothing like his slab-sided renderings?

This screw-up in the early stages of the Farr design process appears to be the result of over-concentration on the Volvo cash cow and disorganization on the syndicate's part for a year after the last event while other teams had their ducks in a row design-rule wise. Farr no doubt went off half-cocked before ever reading the "new" rules and after bringing on hotshot rules manipulators like Tom Ehman only then discovered the screw-up. Can you hear it now?: "Oh Shit!"

Moreover, Farr believes his design was the cats' meow and was only denied entry into the final with Team New Zealand because of the incompetence of sailing crew, shore crew, boat yard, or builders or the syndicate (perhaps not bad thinking, after all….). However, he felt he was wrongly denied his moment in the sun (and will admit to this!). Why bother testing or even considering another team's design (even though he was eliminated at the earliest possible stage) when he is such a genius, just ask him, he'll tell you. . .

You heard it hear first: Oracle is scared because Farr may have used illegal design tools and material and data and the Syndicate is trying a back-door approach to save the team from disqualification for cheating in violation of the Protocol's straightforward prohibition. Jesus, all this and we are how many months away from the event?