In Britain we’ve spent the last few weeks getting used to the idea of two rival political leaders putting aside their tribal enmities to form a coalition government. In the world of the America’s Cup, Sir Russell Coutts and Vincenzo Onorato are the David Cameron/Nick Clegg combo looking to straighten out a sporting event which they view as being in need of salvation after seven years of abuse by Alinghi.

Coutts, CEO of BMW Oracle Racing, and Onorato, owner of the Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, put on a very united front at a jointly organised press conference in Rome. The entente cordiale between the new holder of the America’s Cup and the new Challenger of Record stood in marked contrast to the open hostility that existed between Alinghi and BMW Oracle during the build-up to the 33rd edition.

Vincenzo Onorato and Russell Coutts
© America's Cup

The press conference took place in the exquisite Musei Capitolini on the Piazza del Campidoglio, at the heart of ancient Rome. Behind the speakers stood an ancient statue of Romulus and Remus suckling at the breast of their surrogate mother-wolf. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, so have Defender and Challenger permitted themselves ample time to work out the details of a new direction for the world’s oldest sporting event.

Some would say things are proceeding too slowly, and certainly the mooted date for the 34th Cup - 2013 or 2014 - does seem an awfully long way away. But perhaps better this way than the Protocol published by Alinghi just 24 hours after they successfully defended the Cup in 2007. That one-sided, self-serving document marked the moment when things turned bad for the Swiss, and was the trigger for Larry Ellison to launch his court action against Ernesto Bertarelli.

So, three months after the Cup was won in Valencia, what do we know? Not much in the way of concrete detail, but at least a timeline of announcements for the big decisions:

- Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup will be issued by 31st August
- Design rule released by 30th September
- Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions published by 31st December
- Venue confirmed by 31st December
- Challenge Period open from 1st October – 31st January 2011.

While Coutts never mentioned Alinghi’s name during the press conference, it was clear he was keen to make a break with the past and to forego many of the privileges that the Defender has traditionally been able to afford itself in this most one-sided of contests. “We want discussion and debate now in order to avoid disagreement later. Our minds and our ears are open,” he said. “Diktat has been replaced by discussion, confrontation by consultation.”

Big words, but can Coutts be trusted any more than previous holders of the Cup? Onorato thinks so: “Russell is probably the best sailor ever, but also he is a man with one face and one word,” he said, adding, “We are both here to serve the Cup - and not the Cup serving us.” A veiled criticism of Alinghi, if ever there was one.

We learned a lot about ideals and philosophy, and what Coutts had to say was very encouraging. He is very focused on bringing the America’s Cup to a wider audience - as indeed was Alinghi - and he is consulting widely with commercial, media and broadcast experts. He is also consulting widely with the teams. But what did we learn of the facts? Not much.

When asked about venue, Coutts replied: “Obviously [Larry Ellison] has a strong connection with the United States, and San Francisco has been mooted as a venue, but there is a lot of work to be done.” He said Ellison’s highest priority was the health of the event. “Larry is open to taking this America’s Cup to the venue that’s going to best grow and revitalise and transform the 34th America’s Cup to be the best ever.”

One of the most interesting revelations was that there are two design teams currently researching options for the next type of boat. Again, Coutts is throwing the discussion wide open. “It’s not only the type of boat I want to see, it won’t be a boat that the America’s Cup champions decide [for themselves]. We have asked experts outside of our team and Vincenzo’s team to do some conceptual work.” Bruce Nelson is looking into monohull options while Melvin & Morelli has been asked to draft concepts for multihulls. Designers from across the sport will be invited to a conference to discuss the thinking behind the new class.

However, one criterion the new boats must be able to fulfill, said Coutts, was: “They must be able to sail from 3-5 knots of wind up to 35 knots of wind. In the past we’ve seen racing called off for too much wind. We’ve had a crazy situation where kids in their Optimists were going out racing, but the America’s Cup racing was called off.” That, he said, sends a very strange message to spectators and the media. Too much or too little wind must not be an excuse for the world’s best sailors not going racing. “Delays kill interest. Even the hardcore fan doesn’t like having to wait for enough wind to race,” said Coutts.

Paul Cayard, now president of the World Sailing Teams Association, welcomed the announcements: “I think that what BMW Oracle Racing is offering to the America’s Cup community is exactly what has been needed for some time. Fortunately for everyone, they are willing to cede a lot of authority to create a more professional and credible sporting event.”

One of the things that has made the Cup unique, however, is its one-sidedness, the very fact that the Defender has been able to stack the odds in his favour. Asked if this new democratic approach would affect the mystique of the Cup, Coutts said: “It will certainly affect it - and in a good way. In the past each team has needed a rules expert where debates went on and on. Now the rules experts will be providing their advice on the sailing rules, that will be their input to the team [not legal advice]. Gone are the legal experts of the past.”

Being so even-handed will undoubtedly make it harder for BMW Oracle to successfully defend the Cup. Indeed, perhaps Coutts’s team will have to beat other American campaigns simply to qualify as the Defender. We haven’t seen a Defender trials since San Diego 1995. “I don’t think having the Cup difficult to defend is a bad thing, I think it’s a good thing,” said Coutts. “If the changes make it more difficult for us to defend the Cup, then so be it. We won’t be putting in place any things that are going to apply to us and not apply to other teams.”