OneWorld has our design secrets, says Team New Zealand

4:45pm - By HELEN TUNNAH and JULIE ASH

America's Cup holders Team New Zealand say one of their fiercest rivals has obtained some of the syndicate's most sensitive design secrets.

For the first time, Team New Zealand have admitted Seattle-based OneWorld Challenge have substantial information on their hull and rigging programme, and on the structure and strength of their boats.

OneWorld is also alleged to have deck layout drawings of Team New Zealand's 2000 boats, NZL57 and NZL60, which contain "a considerable amount of confidential Team New Zealand design data" and which could only have been obtained from Team New Zealand files.

Secrets from the deck layout included rudder, keel, hull and mast specifications.

The claims are made in five sworn affidavits to a special panel investigating the secrets issue.

The panel has the power to eject competitors from the cup.

OneWorld say they have some Team New Zealand material but argue it is "minor" and has not been used.

But Team New Zealand rules adviser Russell Green rejects OneWorld's argument that having material and not using it does not break America's Cup rules.

"To say 'we had the information but did not use it and did not gain an advantage' is the equivalent of saying 'I smoked but I did not inhale'."

Green made the comment in written evidence to the America's Cup Arbitration Panel, which OneWorld have approached to decide if they have broken any rules by having access to design information gained "inadvertently" from former Team New Zealand crew.

Team New Zealand were reluctant to say how seriously the loss of their secrets would affect on the defence of the Cup.

Green told the Herald that a new syndicate, such as OneWorld, would get a huge boost by obtaining material about the winning 2000 boats.

Italian challenger Prada have also entered the fray, telling the panel OneWorld obtained confidential data on their former sail programme.

As well as the five affidavits of crew, Team New Zealand chief executive Ross Blackman has sworn that three former crew now with OneWorld, designer Laurie Davidson, sailor Jeremy Scantlebury and engineer Wayne Smith, did not comply with a request to have their laptop computers purged of any Team New Zealand files.

Team New Zealand designer Mike Drummond said Davidson attended at least one meeting after the last America's Cup to plan the hull design programme for 2003 before defecting to OneWorld.

Green also said OneWorld have not fully disclosed to the panel the extent of the material they have.

Davidson has denied using any Team New Zealand secrets in his work with OneWorld and yesterday offered to show his work to Team New Zealand head Tom Schnackenberg.

"I have got an international reputation as a yacht designer which has taken a long time to build up."

OneWorld chief executive Gary Wright said former Team New Zealand crew with the syndicate had "reasonable" reasons for not purging their computers when asked.

The five-member panel has yet to decide if it will hold a hearing into the claims, as requested by Team New Zealand, and it is not known when a finding will be released.