Ellison questions safety of America’s Cup venue Ras al-Khaimah, UAE

Ellison questions safety of America’s Cup venue

SAN DIEGO — Software tycoon and sailor Larry Ellison on Tuesday questioned the safety of a Persian Gulf port picked as the site for the America’s Cup showdown between his American-based crew and defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

Ellison, the Oracle Corp. founder and CEO who owns BMW Oracle Racing, said he’s never been to Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, which was named last week by Alinghi as the port for the best-of-3 showdown starting Feb. 8 for the oldest trophy in international sports.

“I don’t exactly know what to say,” Ellison said during the official presentation of his crew and the giant trimaran it will sail. “I think they picked it because it’s very light winds. I’m a little bit concerned because it’s less than 100 miles from Iran, so we’re all concerned about the safety of our crew and our shore crew and everyone setting set up there.”

Ras al-Khaimah, or RAK, is on the southern end of the Persian Gulf and not far from the Strait of Hormuz, which separates the peninsula from Iran.

“People say, ‘Oh my God, the Emirates, that’s where Roger Federer trains for tennis and that’s where Formula One races,’ ” said Ellison, who will sail aboard the 90-foot trimaran as part of the decision-making afterguard. “Not this part of the Emirates. There’s an oil depot, we’re concerned about electricity, we’re concerned about a lot of things. We’re concerned about the proximity to Iran.

“I know a lot of people in the UAE. We like them a lot. Oracle does do a lot of business with the UAE. Nothing bad to say about the UAE at all, but we are concerned about the suitability of this particular venue for a race like this.”

BMW Oracle Racing is backed by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club. It has been testing its space age-looking trimaran in San Diego since last fall.

The rare showdown between BMW Oracle Racing and Alinghi is the result of a convoluted, two-year court fight between Ellison and biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli, who owns Alinghi and its 90-foot catamaran, Alinghi 5.

Ellison said BMW Oracle Racing likely will be back in court regarding rules, the umpires and the race jury.

Also Tuesday, BMW Oracle Racing named Australian Jimmy Spithill as helmsman for its showdown with Alinghi.

Spithill will be sailing in his fourth America’s Cup.

The 30-year-old Spithill sailed with Young Australia in 1999-2000, when he was the youngest skipper in America’s Cup history. He also sailed for American syndicate OneWorld in 2002-2003 and Italy’s Luna Rossa in 2007.

Russell Coutts, one of the most dominant skippers in America’s Cup history, is BMW Oracle Racing’s skipper and CEO. But Coutts said he’s not sure how often he’ll sail aboard BMW Oracle Racing’s trimaran, which is known as BOR 90 and will be renamed USA once sea trials are completed and the syndicate receives a Certificate of Documentation from the Coast Guard.

Coutts sailed unbeaten through three America’s Cup matches, the first two with Team New Zealand and then for Alinghi in its 5-0 win over the Kiwis in 2003. He was fired by Bertarelli and sat out the 2007 America’s Cup. Coutts is 14-0 in America’s Cup matches. Before Race 5 against Luna Rossa in 2000, he took himself off the boat and let understudy Dean Barker steer in the clinching race.

Actor Harrison Ford was a guest of BMW Oracle Racing and got a ride on BOR 90.

“Now, Harrison, no doubt you’ve had a ride or two in that Millennium Falcon, but trust me, mate, you’re in for a real treat this afternoon,” Spithill told Ford during a ceremony at the team’s base.

Ford, the star of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movies, admitted that he didn’t know much about sailing or the America’s Cup. He’s a friend of Sean D. Tucker, who flies Oracle’s aerobatic plane.

“I’m here for the ride,” Ford cracked.

“The one thing I know about boats, I learned from my friend Jimmy Buffett, a longtime sailor. He said a boat is a hole in the water you throw money in. That must be a very big hole,” Ford said, motioning toward the giant trimaran, which is estimated to have cost well more than $10 million.

“I’m looking forward to a short ride on the beast,” he said.

Spithill said BOR 90 has flirted with going 50 knots on the Pacific Ocean.

“As any multihull sailor will tell you, to sail multihulls fast, you need to sail them on the edge,” Spithill said.

“Not only is it an adrenaline rush, it’s an interesting balance that we all have to deal with on a daily basis with a boat like this. One mistake and the campaign could be over. So as a team we have to be extremely smart about this. But make no mistake, it was built to be pushed and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”