champions
Bob Fisher
Miscrosoft founder Bill Gates is bankrolling a multimillion-dollar bid by the United States to persuade the world sailing champions to abandon their native New Zealand and instead race under the Stars and Stripes.
As well as money, the US is promising American citizenship to the New Zealand crew, holders of the prestigious America’s Cup. America is out to regain yachting’s biggest prize and has decided “if you can’t beat them, buy them”. Big- money deals are being offered to 20 of the 30 Kiwi sailors who won the trophy in March as incentives to switch countries.
About $35-million is available to lure the backbone of the triumphant Kiwi team. The move is being made now so that any of the crew who swap loyalties will be able to meet a two-year residence qualification for sailors competing in the next America’s Cup in 2003.
This attempt to buy back a trophy the US regards as its own has gone down badly in New Zealand. Brad Butterworth, Team New Zealand’s tactician, said it would be “devastating” if any of his victorious team-mates succumbed to the combined appeal of Uncle Sam and greenbacks. “It would knock the heart out of Team New Zealand, but they would go because they had an offer they could not refuse. They are being offered two or three times what they would earn in New Zealand.”
America is hoping to exploit disillusion among Kiwi crew members fed up with low salaries, minimal expenses and having to bring packed lunches to work with them.
Winchmen and sailors who earn up to $27E000 a year are being offered a $60E000 signing-on fee and $150,000 annual salary for six years.
Laurie Davidson, the team’s designer, has been offered $1,5-million. He already has a US passport. Sean Reeves, a New Zealand lawyer and former sailor, is masterminding the operation on behalf of a syndicate involving Gates. Using money and citizenship to lure sportsmen is nothing new in America. Last week it granted US citizenship to Moroccan Khalid Khannouchi, the world’s best marathon runner, in a bid to have an “American” Olympic marathon gold medallist.