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Ernesto Bertarelli: The Team Alinghi mastermind who shook up the America’s Cup

• Matthew Sheahan
• December 18, 2019

The Swiss billionaire shook up the America’s Cup with Team Alinghi. Is he tempted to rejoin the ever-more-radical competition? Matthew Sheahan found out

Photo: Lloyd Images

When Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi (SUI64) crossed the finish line for the final time in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2003, the Swiss 5-0 victory was more than just a decisive new entry in the America’s Cup history books. As the pharmaceuticals billionaire and his teammates hoisted the trophy above their heads, the America’s Cup was on course to change.

Ernesto Bertarelli was already famous in the sailing world for his team’s slick performances – and infamous in New Zealand for having poached the country’s top sailing talent. Four years later, in Valencia, his team defended the 32nd America’s Cup. But this time their win led to change of a different type.

Frustration, acrimony and protracted legal disputes followed in the build up to the 33rd America’s Cup. And when the racing finally got underway in February 2010 in giant multihulls, Alinghi was defeated.

Photo: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso / Getty Images

Since that loss Bertarelli has been out of the Cup and away from the spotlight. Instead, he returned to his own sailing aboard the fast, lightweight multihulls that have been his preferred style of racing for many years.

The Alinghi name continued in the Extreme Sailing Series, then GC32 Tour, and aboard the D35 cat which Bertarelli races on his home patch of Lake Geneva.

Bertarelli is different from many of the super-wealthy owners in the sport. A hands-on, talented and accomplished sailor, he is one of the few who can genuinely hold his own against the pros at a busy, high speed leeward mark rounding.

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Yet despite his ability, enthusiasm and passion for racing at the top level, he has remained largely silent since 2010, as the America’s Cup has gone through another series of major transitions.

When wingmasted cats became the new weapons of choice for the 34th America’s Cup, many speculated that Bertarelli would come back into the Cup. That speculation was reignited when he made a trip to Bermuda in 2017 where he was rumoured to have dined with several of his former friends and foes.

Might the foiling monohull and the very open new design rules tempt him to return?

Multihull specialist

In a rare and exclusive interview, I spoke to Bertarelli at his home on the edge of Lake Geneva on the eve of the biggest lake race in the world, the Mirabaud Bol d’Or, a race that he has won seven times.

I asked him whether he missed the America’s Cup? “It was hard to get away because I still really love the Cup. It is the pinnacle of our sport and it’s this particular event, which needs to drive our sport forward.

“So it was tough to leave it at a time when I thought we had done some great things. I thought Valencia 2007 had brought sailing to a very good place. It was also difficult to see it then go to a multihull, which is obviously a part of the sport which I also really love. It was tough to see that happen and not participate.

“Having said that, I had won the Cup twice and by the end of the third campaign I was a little tired of the politics, the work that needed to be done in order to participate and, frankly, some of the characters. I had had enough. And so in that sense it was great to go back to sailing for fun, pure fun.

“I really don’t have any regrets and I think that Alinghi is in a good place. The transition also allowed me to look after some of the younger sailors here in Switzerland, build a team around them and now we have a very strong team. So we are pleased with where we have got to with Alinghi and the story is not over.”

Given his success in the foiling GC32s, where Alinghi’s successes include winning the 2019 world championships and taking the Extreme Sailing Series twice, was he interested in the SailGP circuit ?

“SailGP is interesting. The problem I see is that it’s not really a competitive series. With one owner owning all the boats it doesn’t quite do it for me. It’s a great opportunity for some sailors to sail these types of boats, but I don’t know where it is going to go really.

“I’m a lot more interested in what’s going to happen with the Cup and the new foiling boats that are being designed and built. I really hope that in New Zealand we’re going to have a competitive event.”

Temptation beckons

So how interested was he in getting back into the America’s Cup? “I was tempted,” he admits. “There were quite a few people that wanted to see Alinghi back in the Cup, and that includes sponsors.

“We are a competitive team, we know the game, the multihull and the AC50 class had started to get more settled. I felt that that would be an opportunity to get back into the Cup without reinventing the wheel, yet still with an opportunity to win based on skill rather than on funds and on engineering an innovative breakthrough.

“I think the danger every time you introduce a new class – and this has been a problem since Valencia – is that innovative breakthroughs become a lot more important than sailing skills and teamwork.

An accomplished sailor, Bertarelli loves the thrill of competition and has always been a hands-on owner. Photo: Christophe Margot

“Research and development requires money, so this becomes the game. You still need people, but you need more engineers than sailors and this tilts the balance a bit too much towards design than on the water performance.

“Even though it’s fascinating to see these boats being created, and hearing and seeing some of the mock-ups and understanding what’s going on, you realise that most of the work is happening indoors. This was not exactly what I was looking for. I really enjoy going sailing.”

This might come as a surprise to some who would argue that the Alinghi team, with its deep pockets and reputation for having a sharp focus on success, was happy with the high spending arms race until it went against them.

Yet, a look back at the style of the campaigns, and the balance between design and sailing prowess, suggests that Bertarelli chose to spend his money on people rather than technology. The 33rd America’s Cup Deed of Gift Match is a good example of this.

Bertarelli racing his D35 at the Mirabaud Bol d’Or. Photo: Loris von Siebenthal

“The DoG match was a very interesting experience and I have no regrets there, I learned a lot. And one thing I learned was that it’s very hard to compete if the rules are changed. In any Cup cycle you want to understand how the rules are going to be set, but the rules are never set upfront.

“It’s a little bit like walking into a casino. If the odds are too skewed on the side of the house, you’re not going to go back. The DoG match was more about how can we twist the rules to favour us versus the other guy.

“Ultimately our boat was a great boat and the basic structural platform was used in the next Cup. But when the wingsail came in I just said: ‘This is getting out of control. I’m going to have to spend another €30 million for a wingsail and it might not stop there because the rules might change yet again.’

“So we stayed with the conventional sail knowing that the wing was going to be a big element.“

Back to monohulls

Has he ruled out a move to the new AC75 monohulls some day? “I need to see what’s going to happen in New Zealand. Once one boat crosses the line we will know more. We will know who is in charge and who they choose as a Challenger. Every cycle is different.

“But, I like stability because I think ultimately the magic in the America’s Cup is the match. And for a match you need to try to find a ways to bring the teams together.

“In Valencia the magic of the event was that all the boats had their moments because they had a chance to be matched up to a bigger team. Today with the current class, unless you have a massive budget you have no chance.”

Alinghi winning the America’s Cup as defender in 2007. Photo: Jose Jordan / Getty Images

As an owner who enjoys being an integral part of the team, does he think there is still a place for an owner aboard? “There is space for owners and I’d argue that you need an owner who is involved and understands the platform, understands what’s happening in the team and on the water, and then ultimately makes the right call for the Cup,” Bertarelli comments.

“I don’t think foilers are any different to any other boats. They’ll become safer. People are learning to sail them much better. The first time I sailed a foiler was around the Isle of Wight in 2015 against the British America’s Cup team. We were both on GC32s and we were both struggling. We were wiping out on the waves. It was physically painful.

“Now I sail the GC32 and the teams are very skilled and boats don’t wipe out anymore, at least only once in a while. We foil gybe and foil tack, and what is great is that sailing is more exciting.”

After an intense period in the spotlight of the America’s Cup with all the political arguments and public scrutiny, is he a different person now? “I hope I’ve changed. I think as you mature you learn more about yourself. You are able to take a bit more distance. Maybe I’m more aware of the sort of unnecessary friction that happens. I think I’ve grown to be less affected by it now.

“If I was in the Cup I’d want to make sure that there was not too much of that and accept it as a part of every relationship. So I think I learned to deal with things better.”

Having won sailing’s most prestigious trophy, twice, what drives him to carry on sailing? “It’s not so much the trophies which bring me back to sailing, but because sailing is both a mechanical and a team sport, when things happen at the highest level, I find it fascinating. I think it’s magic.

“Those moments where time stops and you’re in a different place. You’re in complete harmony with your team, your boat and the wind. You make the call and by magic the shift is there. We had that last weekend. We didn’t win, but for about half an hour we sailed perfectly. It’s a fantastic sport for that.”

How Team Alinghi changed the America ’ s Cup

Alinghi’s win in Auckland in 2003 signalled the end of Team New Zealand’s dominant reign. The Swiss victory in the 31st America’s Cup was the first and only time a challenger has won on its first attempt.

The 32nd Cup, as envisioned by Bertarelli and the brains trust at Alinghi, was very different. First, having won on behalf of a club in a country that had no ‘arm of the sea’, Bertarelli put the hosting of the event out to tender. More controversy followed.

Confirming the adage that ‘if you win the Cup, you make the rules,’ the show took root in Valencia, Spain. A new, public-friendly model was rolled out across the entire Valencian venue and the circus grew like never before.

Celebrating Alinghi’s historic Cup win in 2003. Photo: Dean Purcell / Getty Images

While high fences and security cameras surrounded many bases, Alinghi opened their doors to anyone who fancied a look inside. A free to enter spectator area, a visitor centre with educational exhibits and simulators and a shop reinforced Bertarelli’s plan to turn the America’s Cup inside out.

On the water Bertarelli’s team won again, in the last event for the IACC monohulls in 2007. But negotiations for the next generation of boat for AC33 were derailed as a fierce argument over the validity of the Spanish Challenger of Record.

The Americans took Alinghi’s Société Nautique de Genève to court and won. The 33rd Cup bottomed out, leaving the match to operate under the most basic terms of the Deed of Gift, or DoG match as it is often referred to.

Russell Coutts and Ernesto Bertarelli celebrate winning the 2003 America’s Cup. Photo: Nick Wilson / Getty Images

With only a few rules the arms race between defender Alinghi and challenger Oracle Racing ramped up as their designs went to the very edge of what was possible. A giant cat and a monster tri emerged.

But despite the mass of speculation these two America’s Cup leviathans triggered, when it came to it the racing in 2010 was an anti-climax. Only two races were required.

Larry Ellison’s Oracle Racing won, with Bertarelli’s former right-hand man Russell Coutts in charge. It was a bitter pill for the Swiss boss to swallow, especially as the event marked the first step for the Cup into a world of high performance catamarans, Bertarelli’s speciality.

Who is Ernesto Bertarelli?

Born in Rome in 1965, Ernesto Bertarelli graduated from Babson College and Harvard Business School, USA, before inheriting Serono from his father in 1995. The Geneva-based pharmaceuticals company was then worth around $100m.

As CEO and deputy chairman he turned the company into a multibillion-dollar biotech company specialising in reproductive health, multiple sclerosis, and metabolism. The company was sold to Germany’s Merck KGaA in 2006 for $13.3bn.

Bertarelli’s parents were both keen sailors and he was introduced to sailing early on. His sister Dona is also a keen racing sailor and owns the 140ft trimaran Spindrift as well as racing a D35 cat on Lake Geneva.

He lives in Gstaad and Geneva with his wife, Kirsty, a former Miss UK and a singer-songwriter, and their three children.

First published in the December 2019 edition of Yachting World.

$160M superyacht sails into Lake Union

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A superyacht measuring 314 feet long and owned by billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and his wife, a former Miss U.K., docked in Lake Union Friday.

The VAVA II, reportedly in Seattle to refuel, is the 34th-largest yacht in the world, according to Boat International, a media group that serves the superyacht industry.

VAVA II, the largest privately owned yacht to be built in the United Kingdom, cost $160 million, features a helicopter landing pad, a swimming pool and six decks. It can accommodate 36 guests.

A Washington comparison: The yacht is longer than seven of the 23 Washington State Ferries.

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Bertarelli, 48, is a Swiss/Italian pharmaceutical entrepreneur who inherited the biotech company Serono after his father’s death in 1998.

His net worth is $12.2 billion, according to Forbes. His wife, Kirsty Bertarelli, 42, was crowned Miss U.K. in 1988 and is one of Britain’s richest women, according to the Daily Mail.

VAVA II’s recent ports of call were Honolulu and Port Townsend, according to Marine Traffic, a website that tracks maritime vessels’ locations and travels.

The VAVA II went through the Ballard Locks Friday afternoon without any issues, a Locks official said, though onlookers said it did almost hit the side of the chamber a few times.

Though it dwarfs the sailboats and dinghies often seen on Lake Union, the VAVA II isn’t the largest yacht to dock in Seattle waters. That prize likely goes to The Serene, a $330 million yacht owned by Russian vodka distributor Yuri Scheffler, which was moored in Elliott Bay in August 2013. The Serene is about 124 feet longer than the VAVA II.

It’s unclear how long the VAVA II will be in Seattle.

The yacht has a fuel capacity of 115,043 gallons, which provides a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles at 14 knots.

According to the Daily Mail, refueling costs the billionaires $400,000.

Pocket change, really.

Paige Cornwell: 206-464-2530 or [email protected]

That’s one big (and expensive) yacht: Vava II visits Boston

This may be the one and only time that no one can use the joke, “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

A massive yacht — so big, in fact, that it comfortably fits a helicopter on its upper deck — was spotted floating around Boston Harbor this weekend, and anchored near Peddocks Island .

The superyacht, called the Vava II, is said to be owned by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli and his wife, Kirsty , a former Miss United Kingdom title-holder and singer, according to the Daily Mail .

The boat first set sail in 2012 and cost an estimated $150 million to build, according to reports. As of Monday morning, the roughly 315-foot vessel was moored near Long Wharf, not far from the city’s Harbor Walk, according to MarineTraffic.com , which tracks large boats and their travel routes on the open seas via satellite.

Ernesto Bertarelli’s reason for cozying up to the city’s shoreline (if he is indeed on the yacht, which has not been confirmed) shouldn’t be surprising, even if the size of his boat is enough to make your jaw drop: The biotech entrepreneur apparently has ties to the area.

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According to his biography on Bertarelli.com , the sailing enthusiast graduated from Babson College in 1989 , and he earned an MBA at Harvard Business School four years later. He also has a passion for yachts — beyond enjoying them for luxury purposes.

“In 2000, he founded the yachting syndicate Team Alinghi. In 2003, Alinghi won the Louis Vuitton Cup before beating Team New Zealand in Auckland to win the America’s Cup,” according to a profile about the famous graduate on Babson College’s website. “Bertarelli served as navigator aboard Alinghi in 2003 and as an afterguard runner and grinder on the boat in 2007.”

Rick Canale, whose family owns Exotic Flowers, said he prepared a large flower order for the crew on the yacht — though he didn’t speak with its owners or know who the delivery was for.

Canale said it’s not unusual for yacht owners to reach out to his business when they dock in Boston and ask for some fresh flowers to display on-board. This order, however, was a bit different, he said.

“They reached out to me, and when my driver came back [after the delivery] he said, ‘That’s the biggest one I have ever seen,’ ” Canale said, referring to the yacht. “They knew exactly what they needed and knew everything by name — quantities and all that — across the board.”

This isn’t the first time that a massive vessel has turned heads as it arrived to Boston waters for a brief stay.

In 2016, a 288-foot-long superyacht , complete with a basketball hoop on deck, was docked in the city.

At the time, Boston police shared a picture of the boat on Twitter, and said it was owned by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. But the television personality staunchly denied those rumors — many, many times, in fact — by repeatedly saying he had no connection to the vessel.

As the Vava II bobbed around in Boston Harbor over the weekend, people blown away by its mammoth size shared pictures of it online:

View this post on Instagram Not every day you see a $150mm yacht with a fucking helicopter cruising into Boston Harbor. #vava #sail #helicopter #bostonharbor A post shared by Matt (@mjciampa) on Jul 30, 2017 at 4:12pm PDT

One of the yachts moored near Long Wharf has a helicopter on it. And people are doing tai chi on deck. So there's that. pic.twitter.com/IQxMAoBqSq — Eric Fisher (@ericfisher) July 31, 2017

Steve Annear can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @steveannear .

Watch CBS News

Super Yacht Vava II Docks In Boston Harbor

July 31, 2017 / 11:46 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) - A roughly 315 foot mega yacht with a helicopter on its upper deck dazzled onlookers near Boston Harbor on Monday.

Vava II was moored off Long Wharf Monday morning. By early evening, it was seen floating out past Castle Island with a party on board.

The vessel is owned by Swiss Billionaire, Ernesto Bertarelli, and his wife Kirsty, former Miss United Kingdom, according to the Daily Mail. Vava II first set sail in 2012 and reportedly cost roughly $150 million to build.

According to Bertarelli.com, Ernesto has ties to the Boston area. He graduated from Babson and also got his MBA from Harvard.

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Just Try to Keep Leonardo DiCaprio Off a Yacht, I Dare You

By Kenzie Bryant

Did you have a nice little New Year’s holiday? Did you watch the whole of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in one big gulp? Maybe you drove somewhere new since flying is so complicated these days. Off to a ski resort a few hours north as the interstate flies, hm? Spent a couple precious hours on this earth drying out cold, wet socks from the last run down the mountain, maybe? Well, that all sounds lovely, but unfortunately for mere mortals everywhere, it will never be as lovely as what Leonardo DiCaprio is up to. 

Leonardo DiCaprio! He of the movies fame. You know, Titanic. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Catch Me If You Can. The Revenant. Most recently, the Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up . This guy, would you believe it, was on a yacht. Of course you believe it. This guy loves yachts . The man simply cannot get enough of them. He is like an oenophile, traversing the lands, grabbing up whatever fermented grapes Dionysus has left us down here. Like, if there is a rare and elegant wine, he’s tried it or wants to try it—but with yachts. 

So this week he’s been chartering Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli ’s yacht, which is called Vava II, in St. Barts. The Vava II has its own Wikipedia page . It’s reported to cost $150 million and sleep about 50 guests and crew members, and frankly, that’s a lot for a boat! Those things are on water! 

Friend and capo of the fabled Pussy Posse Lukas Haas was there, as was DiCaprio’s girlfriend, 24-year-old Camila Morrone. Per the Daily Mail , they even went shopping with the editor in chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, which I imagine is something like shooting hoops with LeBron James.  

Before all the shopping and the lounging on deck chairs with Haas and the strolling around St. Barts, DiCaprio celebrated New Year’s on the island alongside Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sanchez, Drake, and yacht owner himself Bertarelli. It is where this historic photo was taken.

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Anyway, hope those socks dried out okay. 

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5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

The first pavilion of Crocus Expo IEC hosted an extraordinary exposition of the 5th International exhibition of yachts and boats Moscow Boat Show. The show had been incredibly famous for five years already not only thanks to the specialists of the market segment as well as professional sportsmen but also thanks to those who consider sailing sport to be their hobby and well cherished dream.

Moscow Boat Show 2012

The organizer of the project was the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre. The show was supported by Aston Martin Moscow, Burevestnik Group logistics department and the Yachting specialized magazine.

The exposition space increased up to 30 000 sq m and was accommodated in all 4 exhibition halls of the fairgrounds! 280 Russian (Arkhangelsk, Vyborg, Kazan, Kaluga, Republic of Karelia, Moscow and Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod, Novorossiysk, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk region, Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen and Yaroslavl region) and foreign ( Denmark , Germany , Holland , Greece , Spain , Italy , Cyprus , China , Latvia , Poland , USA , Turkey , Ukraine, Finland , France , Montenegro and Croatia ) companies participate in the show.

Moscow Boat Show provided the perfect platform from which to preview new products, evaluate market trends, and establish long-lasting and commercially profitable partnerships. Despite the dynamic changes taking place in Russia and the rapid growth of the yachting sector, the show continued to complement and reflect the industry’s demand and is a promotional opportunity not to be missed!

Unique exhibits were presented at the show for the first time: exposition of private submarines from U-Boat Russia company, Marquis Yachts 420 SB motor yacht from Sport Bridge S. Marine series, SAGA-415 yacht from Saga Boats Norwegian shipyard, Jetlev-Flyer from MS Watersports.

Moscow Boat Show a Great Success

More than 400 yachts were displayed within the frames of the event including the largest boats ever exhibited in Russia – the 19-meter giant motor yacht Princess 54 as well as the Princess 50 yacht from Nord Marine and Baja speed boat from Burevestnik.

Domfinland OY unveiled a luxury project from Finnish real estate: a seaside premium class hotel in Hanko named consonant with the location Merihanko.

The trade fair was traditionally opened by a Gala Opening Ceremony. Arcady Zlotnikov, First Deputy Director Crocus Expo IEC, was the first to take the floor at the official opening ceremony. He greeted warmly exhibitors, guests and visitors of Moscow Boat Show. Nikolay Krjuchek, Deputy Chief of the State Inspection on Small size Vessels (GIMS) of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Russia, Georguiy Shaiduko, Acting President of the Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS), Olympic champion in Atlanta and Ekaterina Grishechkina, Director of exhibition Moscow Boat Show also spoke at the ceremony.

The high-ranking guests noted dynamic development of the branch which well reasoned the intensive growth of the exposition and appearance of rather unique “gems”.

A number of business meetings and negotiations were held within the frames of the project: the exhibition was visited by a large delegation of Greek businessmen for the purpose of establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Russian colleagues.

More than 400 yachts on display at the Show

Russian Yachting Federation (VFPS) celebrated its 100 anniversary within the frames of Moscow Boat Show and arranged an exposition of future sailing sport museum (rare awards, gifts, articles from private collections, pictures and etc.) which had been collected since 1912.

Due to carefully chosen running dates the show was visited by more than 26 000 people. The majority of the visitors were of targeted audience – vessel owners and specialists of the branch.

The work at the next edition of the show is under way! The show will be held in March 2013. The overall exhibit space will comprise 40 000 sq m. The exhibition will impress with exclusive exhibits and the latest technological achievements.

Moscow Boat Show was not only an entertaining but at the same time a business promotional event. Participation in the trade fair was a unique opportunity to present a company and products to a distinctly selected targeted audience of industry specialists. They were well prepared to discuss business in the Russian market and even to close a deal on-site.

The show helped representatives of yachting business to get acquainted with their Russian colleagues and gradually improved national yachting market to a new level. It is obvious that for 5 years of its running the project has turned to a status event of the international exhibitions calendar.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "5th International exhibition of boats and yachts Moscow Boat Show a Huge Success ".

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One Billionaire Bows Out of the Next America’s Cup

By Christopher Clarey

• Dec. 11, 2010

Ten months after Larry Ellison and his BMW Oracle Racing team, lawyers included, celebrated victory over Alinghi in the America’s Cup, it remains uncertain where BMW Oracle will defend its very expensive prize.

What is clear is that wherever the competition lands in 2013 — whether in San Francisco or some other city — the Alinghi owner, Ernesto Bertarelli, will not be renewing his acrimonious rivalry with Ellison.

Last month, Bertarelli, a Swiss billionaire, announced that Alinghi would not take part in the next America’s Cup. Last week, in a telephone interview from Switzerland, he spoke publicly for the first time about his reasons.

“The conditions set by BMW Oracle just make it impossible for us to be competitive,” he said. “In any sport, if you don’t have at least a small chance of winning, there’s no point in participating. That’s my philosophy.”

Alinghi , representing the Swiss yacht club Société Nautique de Genève, or SNG, won the Cup on its first attempt in 2003 in New Zealand after hiring several of New Zealand’s best sailors, including the skipper Russell Coutts, the leading helmsman of the Cup’s modern era. Though Coutts later left Alinghi after a dispute with Bertarelli, Alinghi successfully defended the Cup in 2007 in Valencia, Spain.

But after Bertarelli picked a fledgling Spanish yacht club as an official challenger and issued a controversial set of rules for the next Cup, Ellison, with Coutts now in his employ, started a series of legal counterattacks that forced Alinghi to accept BMW Oracle, which represents San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club, as its challenger of record.

After the teams failed to agree on terms for a conventional multiple-challenger regatta, Alinghi and BMW Oracle faced off in a one-on-one Cup in huge multihulls in Valencia in February. Ellison’s team, racing in the 90-by-90-foot trimaran USA-17, swept the series, in part because of the power boost provided by its innovative 223-foot wing sail, complete with adjustable flaps like an airplane wing. It gave USA-17 an edge over the soft sails of Alinghi’s catamaran.

BMW Oracle has since decided that the 2013 Cup, the 34th, will be contested in a new class of 72-foot catamarans with wing sails, putting an end — for now — to the Cup’s monohull era. A deadline of Dec. 31 is in place to choose a site, with San Francisco still the prime candidate. But it is far from a sure thing because of governmental divisions over the potential costs. Golden Gate Yacht Club is applying pressure on the city to reach an agreement by the end of this week or risk losing the Cup to another site, potentially Newport, R.I., or Italy, home to the primary challenger Mascalzone Latino.

Challengers have until the end of March to enter, and three teams have been confirmed publicly: Mascalzone Latino, Artemis Racing of Sweden and the syndicate Aleph-Èquipe de France. Iain Murray, the regatta director for the Cup, said a fourth challenger had been “entered and validated” for over a month without announcing itself. Others are expected to enter once the site is confirmed.

There were 11 challengers at the last full-scale Cup in 2007, and Bertarelli said the relatively low number of entries so far was an indictment of BMW Oracle’s approach to this Cup; he said adding more teams now would not change the equation.

“How can anyone be competitive with so little time left and no experience whatsoever on wings?” he said. “It’s not possible. It’s like if you say, ‘Wait until March and I’ll show you the big party I’m going to organize at the bottom of Everest’ and see how many people I can get together. The question is who is going to get to the top of the mountain? I’ve been on the top. I know how hard it is to get there.”

Coutts has suggested that the decision to use a smaller one-design catamaran with a wing for preliminary America’s Cup competitions in 2011 was an attempt to help challengers bridge the gap. But some prominent teams have declined to take the bait. Team New Zealand, which contested the 2007 Cup match against Alinghi, is struggling to find financing. Team Origin, a British syndicate formed after the 2007 Cup, remained intact through the legal wrangling only to announce it would disband after the terms of the 2013 Cup were declared.

Bertarelli, an experienced multihull sailor, said his issue was not with multihulls but with the wing and the terms of engagement, which he said could allow Ellison, whose billions exceed his, to spend whatever was required to ensure victory.

“The use of a wing instead of a traditional sail plan,” Bertarelli said, “is going to make it very difficult from a design standpoint, very impractical from a logistics standpoint and, more importantly, very, very expensive for any team to participate.”

He said he was convinced that recreational sailors would not make use of wing sails in their own yachts. “I think it’s the wrong choice, and it’s a choice they made on their own mainly for one reason: to be guaranteed a lead advantage and to make it as difficult as they can for anyone else to win,” Bertarelli said of Ellison’s team.

BMW Oracle declined to comment on Bertarelli’s claims, saying the team had “no interest” in dredging up past disputes.

But Coutts has said there was consultation with potential challengers and designers before the decision to use multihulls was made. Murray said the wing sail has been a consistent hit with sailors who have raced with it in different events, including the 1988 America’s Cup.

“Every one of those crew that has been involved in those projects, it was sort of like someone turning the lights on,” said Murray, who praised the maneuverability the wing provides.

He conceded that wing sails might not become part of cruising yachts. “But who’s to say they are not going to become a vital, green eco part of adding another dimension to commercial shipping?” he said.

Murray is also the chief executive of America’s Cup Race Management, the ostensibly independent organization created to stage the Cup and the preliminary regattas scheduled for 2011 and 2012.

But Bertarelli said that after a careful reading of the protocol for the next Cup, he was convinced that real control lay with BMW Oracle. The same type of criticism was leveled against Bertarelli in 2007 after SNG released its initial protocol — Ellison said he thought it was “a joke” when it was first e-mailed to him.

That was not Bertarelli’s reaction to this set of rules. “It is a very smart piece of legal work which had a lot of words that were there only for communication purposes,” he said. “There are a lot of pages about how fantastic and fair the event will be, but if you actually dissect the document and take all the nice words away, it’s a very clever legal engineering whereby they have total control over the event and the competition.”

Murray disagreed. “America’s Cup Race Management, which has control over all the racing and many aspects of the whole event, is independent as independent can be,” he said.

Bertarelli said he estimated that to mount a competitive campaign in this cup over three years would require a budget of more than $100 million. He said he spent roughly that much in 2007 but was able to finance about 80 percent through sponsorship.

“It’s a design project more than a sailing race,” he said of the 2013 Cup. “And in today’s economy, it’s ludicrous to be spending this kind of money on a sport without the sponsorship revenues that we could have had some years ago. I think the commercial equation is just not there, and that’s one of the reasons I’m pulling out also, besides the advantage they have retained.”