COMMENT:
With the coronavirus causing chaos in Europe and casting doubt on the World Series events in Italy and England, the pragmatic solution is to cancel both.
That would see challengers arrive in New Zealand sooner than expected before the final World Series event in Auckland (December 17-20) and the Prada Cup (January 15-February 22).
The first World Series round is scheduled for Cagliari in Sardinia during April 23-26. Italy is the third-worst affected country by the coronavirus, now rampant in a borderless Europe. More than 150 people have died in Italy, and there are 3500 notified positive cases. So far the virus is largely contained to northern Italy. However, it has spread to hot spots throughout the country, including Sardinia.
A petition is circulating among international dinghy sailors, calling on World Sailing to postpone or relocate several major international and world championships scheduled to be held in the next month in northern Italy, and a World Cup event in Genoa.
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The issue for the America's Cup teams is not so much with a team member catching the virus — but with the containment and other policies adopted by governments.
As it stands, there is little real issue with the America's Cup World Series proceeding in Sardinia. However, the fun starts when the teams and sailors try to enter Britain for the second round in Portsmouth, four weeks later in early June.
For the America's Cup team managers, it is a difficult call making decisions on regattas two or three months ahead when the health strategists and politicians are ringing the changes daily.
It remains to be seen quite how keen the British authorities will be, in two months, to admit America's Cup sailing teams and equipment from a country which is the third-worst affected in the world.
The teams are already preparing for their arrival in New Zealand, with the first visible signs of base construction around the America's Cup Village having appeared, with the steel framework for the INEOS Team UK base piercing the Auckland skyline.
The British America's Cup team appear the most advanced with their base construction.
The other two bases for Italy's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and the New York Yacht Club's American Magic are still flat decks. However, preliminary construction work by the teams has begun. All bases were handed over to the teams on Friday — a year out from the start of the 36th America's Cup.
With the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, the bases may be required sooner than planned.
So far, Emirates Team New Zealand is the only team to have shipped an AC75. NYYC American Magic is currently in their winter base in Florida, and are expected to start the pack-out for Europe in a few days. They are likely to leave that decision until the last possible moment.
The challengers all face exclusion from the America's Cup if they fail to compete in the America's Cup World Series regattas. But ETNZ, as defender, faces no such sanction under the Protocol which governs the 36th America's Cup.
And the message from Team New Zealand chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge is that they are "exactly where they wanted to be" in terms of preparation for their America's Cup defence in 12 months.
He added that the team was not underplaying the enormity of the task ahead of them — as the first club in America's Cup history to conduct a second defence of the 19th-century silver ewer.
"In Bermuda, we always lived in fear that we were behind, and it served us well. This time we have the same mindset. Don't sit still for a minute. Always think you are behind the other guy. Make sure you use the best of their ideas, as well as our own," Shoebridge said.
"We've got our recon guys following them very closely, trying to see what good ideas they have put on their boats and we won't be scared to use those as well.
"We're in a good space, and we're going to be ready".
ETNZ also escaped sanction by the Arbitration Panel this week when the three-man judicial body considered a complaint lodged by Luna Rossa Challenge and associated parties.
The complaint hinged around a claim that ETNZ had breached the confidentiality provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Arb Panel when it had been asked to mediate or make a decision on the Wind Limits that should apply for the America's Cup and Prada Cup.
The panel dismissed the complaint on the basis that all statements made had occurred before the Arb Panel had issued the confidentiality order on January 10. ETNZ escaped what would most likely to have been a five-figure financial penalty.
The takeout from the brouhaha is that the pressure is on, and with 12 months to run, there remains tension between the teams as the America's Cup looms.
Team NZ confirmed last month that they would be moving forward without Burling.