While most of the court battle between the Alinghi and BMW Oracle America’s Cup teams has dealt with dates and venues, and directly applies to few other than the Cup teams themselves, this latest legal dispute over powered systems at the Cup effects all racers and race fans, and hits at the very core of the sport. The latest change in the Racing Rules of Sailing, which may be construed in order to allow powered systems for yacht racing, brings up a very important question, not only in regard to this drawn out saga over the next America’s Cup, but as it pertains to the future of yacht racing as a whole: Is yacht racing about the boats, or the sailors?
Before we delve into the issues of people vs. machines on the water, we must first …Â Details