KEY POINTS:
The America's Cup may be heading to the courts again as reports of syndicate unrest gather pace.
At least eight syndicates are asking America's Cup Management to dissolve the next cup protocol with Spanish challenger Societe Nautique de Geneve, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported yesterday.
It is not known if Team New Zealand is among the eight.
The syndicates are asking for a new protocol where all teams agree on the terms for the 33rd America's Cup.
Sail-World.com reported it was not known what the outcome would be if the request from the eight teams was not met.
Oracle syndicate head Larry Ellison has submitted a challenge to Alinghi, through the Golden Gate Yacht Club, in accordance with the America's Cup Deed of Gift.
The Golden Gate Yacht Club representative Melinda Erkelens and syndicate representative Tom Ehman went to the Societe Nautique de Geneve and presented the new challenge.
Ellison's team also claims that the protocol for the 33rd America's Cup is invalid because it fails to specify the rules for the next cup by omitting a specific date, location, and class of boat.
It is unlikely that Alinghi or SNG will back down so Ellison could begin legal proceedings.
It seems Ellison's move is supported by all the other challengers who have been effectively neutered by Alinghi's decision to withhold details of the next venue, dates for the competition, and details of the new class of yacht they intend to introduce.
When Alinghi announced the new protocol which would govern the 33rd America's Cup, but withheld all the important information, they also gave themselves the right to sail in the challenger series, in addition to their own defender series, and assumed control of all aspects of both series. This gives them unprecedented power and eliminates the challengers' control over their own elimination series.
ACM, the company given control by Alinghi of all aspects of the America's Cup match, also now has the sole rights of appointment and dismissal of all officials, including the jury and umpires.
Sail-World.com said that by having a "dummy" club present a challenge, Alinghi has attempted to sideline the challengers.
One of three things may happen - Alinghi could back down and work with the challengers to create a fair event for the 33rd edition; the matter could end up in courts with the inevitable delays that will entail; or the challengers could boycott the America's Cup and form an alternative event or perhaps adopt the event already under development by Russell Coutts and Paul Cayard.
If Louis Vuitton, the luxury goods company which has sponsored the challenger series for many years but which has now withdrawn from the America's Cup and is locked in a legal battle with America's Cup Management, decides to support a new event with the bulk of the challengers, Alinghi and Ernesto Bertarelli may find themselves regretting they tried to hijack the America's Cup.
Sail-World also understands that ACM is close to reaching agreement with Valencia to be the host venue for the next cup. However this is yet to be confirmed, but if so would set the scene for a 2009 match.
Whether this would be sailed under the present challenge terms remains to be seen.
