In letters to both the challengers and Alinghi, which were leaked last week, Russel Coutts says that he wants BMW Oracle and Alinghi to commit to an AC 34, in Valencia, in 2011. Alinghi/ACM has already committed to Valencia 2011, so if the Swiss were to win a Deed of Gift Challenge Valencia mayoress, Rita Barbera, would be able to sleep easily at night knowing that all was on course for 2011. What if BMW Oracle were to win and she ends up dealing with Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, instead of Ernesto Bertarelli and Michel Hodara?

Would a Valencia challenge really happen?

Way back in 2003, Tim Jeffery reported in the Daily Telegraph that Valencia was ACM's pick, but Coutts favoured the strong bid from Lisbon/Cascais. Coutts was quoted as saying "I think that would have made a fantastic America's Cup with conditions like Fremantle."

Then the Cup In Europe web site quoted Coutts as saying, in Naples "If it depended on me, I would bring the Cup here, immediately. The problem is that I do not decide. For me, Naples and Lisbon are equal; Portugal has stronger winds, which is more spectacular, but the climatic conditions are better here."

After, Coutts and Alinghi parted company, the Spanish site copadelamerica.com said that the principle reason for falling out was that Coutts leant firmly towards a defence in Cascais, but Bertarelli was adamant that the competition would take place in Valencia.

More recently, Julie Ash wrote in NZ Herald that rumour has it that, after racing was called off on the opening day, former Alinghi helmsman Russell Coutts, who favoured Lisbon as a venue rather than Valencia, called principal race officer Peter Reggio and had a kind of  "I told you so" chuckle.

Why is Russell Coutts now, seemingly, so keen to hold AC 34 in a place whose sailing conditions he previously deplored?

What of Larry? It's well known that he hardly ever stepped ashore, in Valencia, during AC 32 and that he elected to have the Rising Sun anchored offshore, instead of mooring at the berth that had been provided for the giant megayacht. 

Plus, in November 2005, Gary Jobson quoted Tom Ehman as saying "The mission is very clear - to lift the burden of holding the Cup from the defender. We have 132 members from 16 countries, and we are very proud to be the only team representing the U.S. If we win, Larry Ellison is on record as saying we will bring the Cup to San Francisco Bay."

Why would Ellison want to set aside his AC 32 mission aims and hold AC 34, in Valencia; a place he has never seemed to be enamoured with?

Can Rita Barbera take comfort in the fact that Ellison et alia have publicly expressed a wish to hold the Cup in Valencia?

On June 6 2005, Associated Press sent out a story saying that Larry Ellison was to donate about $115 million to Harvard University, which would establish a global health monitoring centre and fund five professorships.

Later Forbes reported that Ellison had said, in late June 2005, that he had not signed an agreement with Harvard to make the donation, but added, "It's absolutely going to happen."

In June 2006, Forbes reported Ellison has decided not to donate over $100m to the University after all. An Oracle spokesman told Reuters "Larry Ellison has decided to reconsider his decision. There was never a formal agreement, but it had been talked about."

The reason cited for Ellison's change of mind in the Harvard episode, was the resignation of a member of the University staff that he considered to be crucial to the successful running of the project.

What if between now and the completion of an AC33 DoG match, someone that Ellison considers crucial to the successful running of AC 34 were to leave the Valencia Government?

More AC background stories 

Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 December 2007 )