KEY POINTS:
America's Cup defenders Alinghi have announced they will race SUI100 against Team New Zealand's NZL92 in the America's Cup match.
The Swiss boat was measured yesterday in Valencia.
SUI100 is the latest of the four America's Cup class yachts that Alinghi has built since the team was created in 2000 and it is the last cup yacht built for this edition of the America's Cup.
Alinghi design co-ordinator Grant Simmer said they are pleased with the performance of SUI100 since its launch on March 17 this year.
"It embodies all the work that we have done in this Class since 2000 and we have chosen it because we are very confident with the performance of this boat," he said.
"SUI100 has never competed officially and the team is looking forward to the first race of the America's Cup Match on 23 June. "
Meanwhile, Alinghi have claimed a first-round victory in the murky depths of America's Cup rules.
Alinghi went to the America's Cup jury protesting an interpretation from the measurement committee.
Alinghi had asked the committee a series of questions relating to use of backstays or cables, which support their mast.
Alinghi have a slightly different setup on their boat to Team New Zealand.
They have a separate top mast backstay, which is a cable that runs from the top of the mast to the deck, plus the normal running backstay and checkstay which are cables attached to the lower mast.
It is a relatively new setup and one Alinghi did not sail with in the fleet racing regatta.
The backstays are only used downwind in moderate to heavy winds. Teams have to decide whether they are going to use them before the race.
If not they are stored by attaching them to the mast.
One of Alinghi's questions related to the storing of their topmast backstay.
Because their topmast backstay is independent, Alinghi are perhaps looking to use it when they choose, maybe down the first run and not the second.
But on receiving the measurement committee's interpretation, Alinghi felt the committed had exceeded its jurisdiction and in their interpreting had created a new rule.
Alinghi then protested to the America's Cup jury who decided 3 votes to 2 that the measurement committee had exceeded its jurisdiction and upheld Alinghi's application.
But for Alinghi it is only a round one victory.
The measurement committee just has to give another interpretation.
The committee is under no obligation to do it before race one on Sunday but it is hard to see why it wouldn't.
The timing of the protest is strange. Alinghi may have left it late so as not to alert their rivals to their setup or they may be sure that what they are doing is legal and are just running it by the measurer.
If the Swiss do not receive another interpretation by Sunday then it could open them up to a protest by the measurers or Team New Zealand in race one if the top mast backstays come into play.
America's Cup teams have to get their boats checked by the measurer to ensure they comply with the America's Cup class rules before they race.
While most of the rules relate to classic measurements such as length, weight and material, there is a rule that focuses on how certain items are used during racing.
A boat could have a valid measurement certificate but because of the way it was sailed during the race, the team could be in violation of the cup rule.
Team New Zealand sat in on the hearing but had no comment.
* The Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, John Crawford, received the Sir Thomas Lipton Memorial Cup on behalf of Team New Zealand in Valencia yesterday. The cup is awarded to the winner of the challenger series.
