Confusion at how racing monohulls decision reached

Luna Rossa boss Patrizio Bertelli, left, told Turin newspaper <i>La Stampa</i> the Italian camp loaned Team NZ their test platform

Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa bosses have apparently backtracked on how they arrived at the decision to go with monohulls for the next edition of the America's Cup.

The Kiwi syndicate together with the Italian challenger of record yesterday presented their plans for the 36th edition of the Cup, confirming the event would be sailed in 75-foot monohulls. The news came as no surprise, with Italian media reporting earlier this month that the wing-sailed catamarans sailed in the past two editions of the Cup would be scrapped in favour of a return to monohulls.

The move has divided the America's Cup community, with several high profile sailors, including Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill describing it as a step backwards for the sport.

There is also a level of discomfort that the decision had effectively been made two years ago, when Luna Rossa agreed to throw their resources behind Team NZ after the Italian syndicate withdrew from the 35th America's Cup in protest at sweeping changes to the event rules.

Luna Rossa boss Patrizio Bertelli told Turin newspaper La Stampa the Italian camp loaned Team NZ their test platform and key staff on the condition that if the Kiwi syndicate won in Bermuda, the Italian team would be instated challenger of record and the event would return to monohulls.

"It was the condition for Luna Rossa to help them with men and means in the last edition," Bertelli told La Stampa.

A week later La Stampa interviewed Team New Zealand chief executive Grant Dalton, who appeared to confirm Bertelli's assertion. Questioned when the decision to move back to monohulls was made, Dalton responded: "We first thought about it two years ago with Bertelli. In June, after the victory, we consulted with some potential challengers and that confirmed that we were on the right track."

But Marco Piccinini, Luna Rossa's legal representative who was charged with negotiating the Protocol with Team NZ, denied there were any conditions already imposed.

"I don't think that anybody put any preliminary conditions. When we got close to the final match and Team NZ were revealed as the challenger for the America's Cup the talk became more frequent between the two sides and the idea of going back to monohulls came up continuously from both sides. It was not really a matter of contention - the two parties thought it was the moment to turn the page," Piccinini said at yesterday's announcement in Auckland.

Asked if he agreed with Piccinini's recollection of events, Dalton replied:

"He's absolutely right, we've been thinking about it quite a while as well."

The issue over when monohulls were agreed to wasn't the only part of Dalton's interview with La Stampa that has caused confusion. Dalton blamed reports that cyclors would be "banned" from the next America's Cup on his answers being "lost in translation".

"I said 'grinders will be back' and then it sort of became 'cyclors will be banned'. But no they're not, it's open. Maybe they're the right way to go, maybe they're not. We'll wait and see how the boats turn out."