Open Letter from the Trustees about the 33rd America's Cup

by Michael Levitt on 10 Apr 2009
This is an open letter to the Société Nautique de Genève and the Golden Gate Yacht Club from the Commodores of the five yacht clubs that either set the America’s Cup competition in motion: the Royal Yacht Squadron, or have been a former trustee of the Cup: the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Perth Yacht Club, the San Diego Yacht Club and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

'We write to encourage you to negotiate together for a fair and equitable multi-challenger competition for the thirty-third defense of the America’s Cup. We believe that such an event, as opposed to a 'Deed of Gift' defense, is in the greater interest of the sport of sailing in general and of members of the broad America’s Cup community, who have invested their time and resources to make the event a true international competition of the highest order.

'We hope that the current challenger and defender will work together to find a way through their differences to bring about such an event for the good of yachting and the America’s Cup.'

The Lord Iliffe, Commodore Royal Yacht Squadron
David K. Elwell Jr., Commodore New York Yacht Club
Mark Fitzhardinge, Commodore Royal Perth Yacht Club
R. Andrew La Dow, Commodore San Diego Yacht Club
Scott Colebrook, Commodore Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron