By HELEN TUNNAH
Claims of cheating and skulduggery in the America's Cup will be aired at a vital arbitration panel hearing this weekend as two syndicates press to have Seattle's OneWorld Challenge thrown out of the regatta.
New Zealand lawyer Sean Reeves, who is at the centre of the controversy, has
been asked to back up his allegations that OneWorld wrongfully used the design secrets of other syndicates, including Team New Zealand. Prada and Team Dennis Conner have urged that OneWorld be disqualified from the America's Cup, which would throw the challenger series into disarray.
OneWorld is due to race Prada in the semi-finals from Monday, but if they were ejected, the regatta organisers would then have to decide who should become the fourth semi-finalist out of the syndicates already eliminated.
Reeves, a former Team New Zealand rules adviser who helped set up OneWorld after the last America's Cup, has sworn a 46-page affidavit which provides the backbone of much of Prada and Conner's evidence to the panel.
He says individuals within OneWorld did have Team New Zealand and Prada design secrets from their 2000 campaigns, and knowingly used them. He claims the Seattle syndicate had vital and comprehensive design information for both Team New Zealand's winning boat, NZL60, and sister yacht, NZL57, as well as extensive design data from Prada's sail and rig programme.
He also claims former Team New Zealand designer Laurie Davidson began work on designs for OneWorld before his previous contract ended, and that he included lines drawings for NZL60 in his new work.
"There was no doubt in my mind when I worked as the operations manager for OWC that the physical possession, use, acquisition or appropriation of other syndicate's design and technical information was not discouraged by many OWC designers and sailors, but openly and freely encouraged," Reeves' affidavit said.
OneWorld has strenuously denied the claims, but did admit to the arbitration panel late last year they had some insignificant data they should not have. The panel, which said it might never be possible to prove another syndicate's plans were used, accepted OneWorld's admissions and penalised them one competition point.
A key to this weekend's hearings will be Team Dennis Conner and Prada's assertions that OneWorld misled the panel in the earlier case.
However, In its submissions, OneWorld rejects much of Reeves' evidence, while questioning his credibility.
They urge the panel to believe their witnesses over Reeves when there is conflict.
They remind the panel that three other syndicates, Oracle Racing, GBR Challenge and, ironically, Team Dennis Conner, last year swore affidavits that Reeves had tried to sell them OneWorld design secrets, which Reeves denies.
Syndicate founder Craig McCaw argues the first anyone heard of Reeves' allegations against OneWorld was some months after he had been dismissed and only after "he had been reported by other teams to have attempted to sell to them certain plans or drawings of OneWorld".
The panel, which is free to judge witness credibility and make a determination on the balance of probability, is expected to decide OneWorld's fate by late tomorrow or Monday.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule, results and standings
By HELEN TUNNAH
Claims of cheating and skulduggery in the America's Cup will be aired at a vital arbitration panel hearing this weekend as two syndicates press to have Seattle's OneWorld Challenge thrown out of the regatta.
New Zealand lawyer Sean Reeves, who is at the centre of the controversy, has
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