Doubt over Admiral's Cup as deadline looms

Offshore yacht racing is in the headlines once again this week as the biennial Admiral's Cup is confronted with the problem of attracting sufficient teams to take part in this one-time holy grail of the sport.

With defending champions The Netherlands already declared as a non-starter, hopes are pinned on an Australian and an ad hoc European team coming to the rescue.

Britain, France and Italy have entered but the New Zealanders, fully occupied with the Americas Cup are out too. Ireland hasn't entered since 1993 although Tom Roche's Mumm 36 campaign as part of the victorious United States team in 1995 was particularly memorable.

The April 2nd deadline for entries looms closer with tough decisions facing the Royal Ocean Racing Club organisers if the situation doesn't improve.

Conflicting accounts suggest a variety of explanations for the lack of following for this event that was first held in 1957. The Americans cite the lack of Sydney 40 footers in the United States as the event has now been streamlined into a three-tier one-design series.

Others point to the cost of campaigns in preparation for the event. On balance, the truth appears to be that all are correct explanations though little agreement on a way forward has appeared.

From the heyday of the Admiral's Cup in the 1970s and 1980s when the International Offshore Rule (IOR) united the diverse world of big boat racing and 20 or more three boat squads would descend on Cowes, the event has evolved through a phase of mixing handicapped boats with one-designs to the present day when it is simply one-design. And the driving force for this evolution? The cost of racing.

Ironically, the move towards uniform boats and equipment has spawned a range of `classes' all vying to offer owners the ideal boat in which to win whichever trophy is seen as the prime goal.

Whereas once IOR united a split world of big boat sailing, its demise has seen a return of the trans-atlantic spilt between the original yachting nations of Britain and America. The modern equivalent of this divide rests with the International Measurement System (IMS) that was being steadily developed in the United States as the IOR reached its peak in the 1980's. But IMS proved too unwieldy for everyday use.

But IMS had taken hold in the United States with a simplified version introduced to answer its critics; the IR systems weren't needed thanks, the world should follow suit and work off IMS.

This transatlantic stand-off is as entrenched as ever and the Admiral's Cup is a firm indication of the need for the Ocean Racing Council, the arm of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) responsible for offshore racing to get to grips with the disarray facing it.