Bertarelli defends Alinghi engine to trim sails

LE BOUVERET, Switzerland — Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli has defended the use of a contentious engine to trim the sails on the boat and denied the legal dispute with BMW Oracle Racing has damaged the reputation of the America’s Cup.

The Alinghi team showed reporters on Thursday around its catamaran, Alinghi 5, which has an engine that the American team says is against the spirit of the cup. BMW Oracle Racing said it should be about sailing and the use of wind and manpower.

The next race will be the first time in America’s Cup history that boats use engines to trim sails and move water ballast. Bertarelli said Alinghi 5 was designed in line with the Deed of Gift, the 19th century document that governs the basic rules of the event.

“We basically felt that we could not restrict in any way our position to use ballast, to use an engine … to use anything because the Deed of Gift is very straightforward with regard to the fact that it’s as much a technology race as it is a sailing competition,” the Swiss tycoon said.

“It’s not about how much it costs. It’s not about who’s winning in court. It’s about who’s going to be the fastest on the water and who can bring together the strongest team and the best technology.”

The query over the legality of the engine is the latest conflict in a bitter legal dispute between the two teams over the past two years.

A New York court this week has told the two teams to stop arguing and start talking to each other.

“It’s certainly the most expensive America’s Cup I’ve ever had to finance. But in some ways, this is a very, very unique project,” said Bertarelli, who added that the first sailing tests on Lake Geneva this week had been promising.

“From the design and sailing perspective, it’s an area where no one has ever gone.”

The match is scheduled to begin Feb. 8. Alinghi said it will announce the site Aug. 6. It is considering ports in Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Italy, as well as Valencia, Spain.