For over one hundred years, the status quo prevailed. Competition between teams from one country (ostensibly the defender) and other nations vied for the Holy Grail. From what I could find, it was very rare for the courtroom to be used to either change the rules of engagement or remove a result.
Until a little nation appeared to challenge that dominance. That little nation decided to play the American Game on it's merits and decided to return to the glory days of that competition by building and racing a modified instrument of battle. So in retaliation (and noticeably scared of a loss) the US defender changed the rules of engagement and duly won a very uneven contest. But eventually that small nation played by the rules as stated against an opponent that didn't change those rules, and the Holy Grail went south of the Equator for the second time ever.
Since those heady days, the rules have been set prior to each event and tactics battled on the competition arena. Sure the equipment used for combat changed but on the playing field it was down to was actually the better and more skilled combatant. And that's as far as it went, the courtroom taken out of the equation. Until recently.
It seems that some participants in the next round of competition have the jump on the defender, once again and American one. And they are not happy, actually probably more apt to say they are running scared. So it appears that once setting the rules for all, they have decided to change them with their competition starting in a few months time. And no doubt challengers will take them to court to find out the legalities of their actions. The Americans are very worried about what they see happening in that little nation south of the Equator and they don't want a repeat loss to that little nation.
I love the America's Cup. I love any NZ interest. I love any NZ Team or sailors proving they are the best in the world. I love NZ designers actually making something that goes faster, better, longer. I love our boatbuilding industry that continues to pump out competitive boats in all yachting. I love New Zealand. After Dennis Connor my love for Americans wilted. Now if they succeed in changing the rules to make boats actually go slower than they are designed for just to make sure they defend their Holy Grail I feel I have to back Kim Jong-un and hope at least one of his errant missiles hits the US America's Cup headquarters thereby allowing, faster, better, longer craft of undeniable ability to remove the America's Cup from it's shores, hopefully permanently.
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