So it's the Defender's method of achieving its ends that is questionable?
Yes. The Defender has one goal: to keep the Cup.
For this, they need to organize a defense with just the right amount of expense to ensure the final victory. The ideal for them would be a Cup on the cheapest possible boats where no Challenger would be dangerous. A shot at keeping it 132 years in a row.
To tend to this situation Oracle has rushed into a door opened by Luna Rossa. The Italians gave up the role of COR, which their second position on the list offered them, following the renunciation in June 2014 of the Australians, the first registered. They preferred the constitution of a Challenger Committee with majority voting. Who says vote says lobbying. It is in the open door to lobbying that the American Defender has rushed.
But why lobby?
To ensure that the votes are in your favor.
The Americans can only rely on two documents released in June 2014. The first, is the AC62' class Rule, whose article 4.1. specifies that any modification of this class can only be done at the unanimous of the votes of the Regatta Director (appointed by him) and the competitors still racing. Luna Rossa and TNZ, having already invested 8 months of research in the AC62', are against this vote. Not being able to have this majority, the Americans are going to use the protocol, a document just before this rule.
The second document is the protocol of the AC35th (35th America's Cup), whose article 20.1. specifies that any modification of this same protocol must be done by vote at majority the Defender, the COR and the Competitor Forum (the Challengers still in the race). Ãeuros majority: this changes everything. As there is no more COR, it is enough to secure the votes of 3 Challengers: Artemis, Ben Ainslie Racing and Team France.
The vote of March 31, with a single ballot for each of the 5 teams, asked a majority (Defender + Challengers) to decide in favor of this change. Result: 4 votes for a new protocol (Oracle + Artemis + BAR + Team France). So the AC35 th will be run on one-designs of 48'.
