Okay, as if anyone can't see through the paper-thin Alinghi PR strategy let's just have a look at what's going on: Alinghi and ACM have been backed into a corner where they have totally lost all media credibility and even their own team is briefing off the record that they can't believe the situation that Bonnefous, Bertarelli, Ross and Hodara have created for themselves. Unconfirmed rumours suggest that mast and sail build slots have been cancelled for the new 90 footers whilst the actual boat build slots are allegedly still in place with the Decision yard pending Judge Cahn's decision.

The strategy has been simple. Sit back and do nothing in the media but behind the scenes the strong-arm bully-boys of ACM have hustled out the challengers who were at the preliminary stage of formation by saying that they would not get a base in Valencia unless they publicly declare their intention to compete in 2009. This is is a farcical situation. You have teams like "Hot" Ayre, +39 (who don't have a single penny), Mascalzone, Shosholoza etc being forced with a gun to their heads to announce their intentions when they are merely at the 'back of an envelope' stage of their development.

These teams have no intention of competing in 2009 but they know that if they don't support Ernesto then he will shut them out by not allocating a base and, as small teams, they can't afford not to have a base allocation at this stage. Ernesto is behaving like the worst ever nightmare landlord and all for what?

Well the answer is that he's trying to shift the blame for all of this onto Oracle and put pressure on Judge Cahn. Doesn't it look so much better for Alinghi to have supposedly 7 or 8 challengers all supposedly 'signed up' to his vision and then when the judge rules in favour of the GGYC he can turn around with his hands in the air to the challengers and his Valencian paymasters and say "sorry, not my fault."

If the ruling goes in Alinghi's favour and Oracle appeal the ruling as expected, again Ernesto goes, "look guys, we tried to get it on but Larry Ellison has stopped it by his court actions."

So either way it's a neat extrication from a media nightmare and allows Ernesto the opportunity to walk away with his twisted conscience intact. These Mickey Mouse challengers are nothing more than a pawn in Bertarelli's game...why would anyone want to get involved with this guy?