Software tycoon and sailor Larry Ellison questioned the safety of the Persian Gulf port picked for the America’s Cup showdown between his US-based crew and the defending champion, Alinghi of Switzerland.
Ellison, the Oracle Corp founder and CEO who owns BMW Oracle Racing, said on Tuesday he had never been to Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, which was named last week by Alinghi as the port for the best-of-three race starting on Feb. 8 for the oldest trophy in international sports.
“I don’t exactly know what to say,” Ellison said during the official presentation of his crew and the giant trimaran it will sail. “I think they picked it because it’s very light winds. I’m a little bit concerned because it’s less than 100 miles [160km] from Iran, so we’re all concerned about the safety of our crew and our shore crew and everyone getting set up there.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ras al-Khaimah is on the southern end of the Persian Gulf and not far from the Strait of Hormuz, which separates the peninsula from Iran.
“People say, ‘Oh my God, the Emirates, that’s where Roger Federer trains for tennis and that’s where Formula One races,’” said Ellison, who will sail aboard the 90 foot (27m) trimaran.
“Not this part of the Emirates. There’s an oil depot, we’re concerned about electricity, we’re concerned about a lot of things. We’re concerned about the proximity to Iran,” he said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“I know a lot of people in the UAE. We like them a lot. Oracle does do a lot of business with the UAE. Nothing bad to say about the UAE at all, but we are concerned about the suitability of this particular venue for a race like this,” Ellison said.
BMW Oracle Racing is backed by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club. It has been testing its space age-looking trimaran in San Diego since last autumn and will be there until November.
The legal bickering aside, the showdown between two of the fastest sailboats ever built is expected to provide the most extreme, spectacular racing in the 158-year history of the America’s Cup.
The rare one-on-one match is the result of a convoluted, two-year court fight between billionaires Ellison and biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli, who owns Alinghi and its 27m catamaran, Alinghi 5.
Ellison said BMW Oracle Racing would likely be back in court regarding rules, on-the-water umpires and the race jury.
“It is impossible for us to win if they control the jury and the umpires,” Ellison said after spending a few hours on the Pacific Ocean on the trimaran, with actor Harrison Ford as his guest.
“Can’t. They’ve got to let us win — ‘OK, they beat us on the water, we’re going to choose not to disqualify you because we’re nice guys.’ You think Ernesto’s not going to disqualify us? Now, we hope the court will say that Alinghi cannot control the jury and Alinghi cannot control the umpires and Alinghi cannot make any rule it wants one minute before the race starts. I think we’ll be successful,” Ellison said.
Also on Tuesday, BMW Oracle Racing named Australian Jimmy Spithill as helmsman for its races with Alinghi.
Spithill will be sailing in his fourth America’s Cup.
The 30-year-old Spithill sailed with Young Australia in 1999-2000, when he was the youngest skipper in America’s Cup history. He also sailed for US syndicate OneWorld in 2002-2003 and Italy’s Luna Rossa in 2007.
New Zealander Russell Coutts, one of the most dominant skippers in America’s Cup history, is BMW Oracle Racing’s skipper and CEO.
Ellison said Ford enjoyed himself.
“He said it was one of the best days of his life. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but it’s an awful lot of fun sailing that boat,” Ellison said.
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