Safety of America's Cup venue is questioned

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Software tycoon and sailor Larry Ellison questioned the safety of the Persian Gulf port picked 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 on Tuesday 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 race starting on 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 (160 kilometers) 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 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 27-meter (90-foot) trimaran. "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 autumn and will be here until November.

The legal bickering aside, the showdown between two of the fastest sailboats ever built is expected to provide the most extreme, spectacular racing in the 158-year history of the America's Cup.

The rare one-on-one match is the result of a convoluted, two-year court fight between billionaires Ellison and biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli, who owns Alinghi and its 27-meter (90-foot) catamaran, Alinghi 5.

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