Ugliest Custodian of the Cup in History

The sailing blog, “America’s Cup View”, calls Ernesto Bertarelli a “good sailor, a great competitor, and a powerful victor … an entrepreneur and sportsman … the salt-water impresario who staged one of the greatest regattas ever.” He also writes, but “Powered by his victory, blind to everyone who didn't win, and arrogant about America's Cup traditions, Ernesto chose to become someone none of us ever expected to see, and never knew existed on the planet. He became the Ugliest Custodian of the Cup in History.”

He added, “We believe Ernesto's behavior has shrunk the event. We believe it will take enormous effort and energy and trust to rebuild it.”

The entire post follows.

America’s Cup View: It's been real - By Ross
Saturday, January 10, 2009

This all started, as it did for everyone, as a shocked reaction to the rape, pillage and plunder of the America's Cup Protocol by someone we all thought we knew.

Someone who was a good sailor, a great competitor, and a powerful victor.

Someone who had proven himself as an entrepreneur and sportsman -- and who distinguished himself as the salt-water impressario who staged one of the greatest regattas ever, maybe the best America's Cup ever, at a custom-built haven in Valencia, Spain, a venue just made for sailing, international fellowship, and fun.

Someone, in fact, whose name, story and credentials we felt truly belonged on the Auld Mug, sharply and deeply engraved, for all of us to see, for all time.

Then, as July 4, 2007 faded in the rear view mirror, our shock turned to amazement and disbelief.

Ultimately, it turned to disgust.

The transformation of Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI), chief of Alinghi, from a great sailor into the worst kind of America's Cup mogul astonished all of us.

Here was a great competitor, who had accomplished everything, and had everything to look forward to in the future, maybe forever.

Here was someone who could become, in all of our estimations, his own kind of Ted Turner, his own kind of Dennis Connor, his own kind of Sir Peter Blake.

But Ernesto chose another path.

Powered by his victory, blind to everyone who didn't win, and arrogant about America's Cup traditions, Ernesto chose to become someone none of us ever expected to see, and never knew existed on the planet.

He became the Ugliest Custodian of the Cup in History.

And he defined his status in the New World Order in ways that no other America's Cup victor ever had.

He announced the Protocol for AC33 in a global press conference. Confronted with reasonable questions, he abruptly told the gathered throngs of media and team executives, effectively, to f*** off. Then, amazingly, left the stage.

That bizarre behavior left even more heads wagging -- even among his own team members and his own yacht club.

In that single, defiant act, Ernesto not only alarmed his own retainers, but effectively declared war on the old protocol, on those who supported it, and on anyone who traditionally believed in the venerable America's Cup of the New York Yacht Club and the great George Schuyler, author of the Deed of Gift.

As the months rolled by, Ernesto did very little publicly. He visited the U.S. and the New York Yacht Club (NYYC), he shook hands for camera, and he sailed boats whenever he had the opportunity.

Otherwise, he disappeared.

Read more here http://americascupview.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-been-real.html