Golden Gate Yacht Club has accused America's Cup defender Alinghi of 'snow blindness' in the latest papers filed to the New York Supreme Court ahead of the America's Cup Challenge starting on February 8.
GGYC was responding to submissions filed by Alinghi's club, Societe Nautique de Geneve, to the Court last week.
Two questions are in front of the Court.
The first is whether in the Cup 'Deed of Gift match' the sails of competitors' yachts must be constructed in the country they represent?
And the second is whether Alinghi's sails were built in Switzerland?
GGYC, which is the club of challenger BMW Oracle, believes the answers are obvious. The sails must be constructed in-country and Alinghi's sails don't meet that requirement as they were from the United States, not Switzerland.
GGYC spokesman Tom Ehman said in a statement: "Last week SNG let go an avalanche of papers to obscure these simple questions.
"The Swiss defender has long appeared to be suffering from snow blindness over the fact that the 33rd Match is not a normal regatta. It is not even a normal America's Cup.
"It is a 'Deed of Gift match' in which the clear wording of the Cup's ruling document must be adhered to by both teams," Ehman claimed.
In the argument filed by GGYC to the Court it said: "The Deed of Gift does not say that only the hull of the defender's vessel must be constructed in the defender's country.
"Neither does it carve out an exemption for the vessel's sails – the component that propels the boat and one of the major determinants of a vessel's competitiveness.
"Nor does it say that yachts may be constructed in pieces abroad so long as they are 'assembled' or 'finished' in country.
"This fundamental part of the Deed of Gift has shaped the character of this great sailing competition for nearly 130 years," Ehman said.
By comparison to Alinghi, according to Oracle's claims, GGYC had gone to 'extraordinary' efforts to comply with the Deed of Gift's provision.
Ehman said the issue was not complex to resolve.
"All that is required is an application of a plain and unambiguous provision of the Deed of Gift to admitted facts.
"In a transparent attempt to distract the Court from its own blatant violation of the Deed of Gift's constructed-in-country requirement, SNG has brought a baseless cross-motion against GGYC seeking, once again, to disqualify GGYC's challenge vessel," he said.
Ehman said his club was not trying to delay the race, it was ready to go, and it was not trying to disqualify Alinghi, which was why it was attempting to have the issue resolved before the racing.
"Alinghi's constructed-in-country violation is yet another example of SNG's reckless disregard for the Deed of Gift, and of their repeated attempts to gain an advantage by shamelessly breaking the rules," Ehman said.