Vuitton Cup Official Decries ACOC’s Efforts : Sailing: Promoter for challenger series also criticizes the attitude of San Diego.
SAN DIEGO — This does not appear to have the makings of a beautiful friendship.
Frenchman Bruno Trouble’s assignment has been to promote the Louis Vuitton Cup in San Diego’s back yard. While international and U.S. reporters have praised his performance, Trouble has been less than pleased with San Diego’s response.
“This city is too big and spoiled,†said Trouble, Louis Vuitton Cup press officer. “Too many big events and they don’t care. If the America’s Cup stays here, it will not die, but it will be very, very bad for the America’s Cup. That’s for sure.â€
Trouble, a skipper for France in previous competition for the America’s Cup, has been a primary spokesman for the challengers, who have spent the past four months competing in San Diego. He has shared counter space with the ACOC’s public relations team, and he has not been impressed.
“The ACOC people blew the whole event,†Trouble said. “For sure the America’s Cup is more and more an average event because people like the ACOC don’t work enough on the real values of the event and the real strengths of the event--the history and tradition of the America’s Cup.
“They didn’t promote the event. All the promotion done for the America’s Cup has been done, I’m sorry to say, by Louis Vuitton.â€
Trouble pointed to the large signs--featuring up-to-the moment results of the challengers’ competition--which were erected near the America’s Cup Museum, as an example of the ACOC’s poor performance.
“We were trying to raise interest,†he said. “I came to the ACOC and said it would cost $90,000 for these boards, and asked if they could pay a little. They said they had no budget for such a thing, so I took care of that.
“You know what has happened since? We built a board for the defenders to go right alongside the challengers and the defender board has been dead since it’s gone up. The Louis Vuitton board has been perfect. Every time around each mark is posted, and the defender’s board just sits there.
“I complained that there wasn’t a sign in the airport. You have people coming from Japan, Italy and France, and they realize a dream, fly here and arrive in the airport lounge and there’s nothing. Maybe it’s the wrong airport. Maybe the America’s Cup isn’t here. It’s a shame.â€
Now that the field of eight challengers has been reduced to one--Italy--Trouble will work to assist Il Moro Di Venezia.
“Forget local interest,†Trouble said. “I think we succeeded in making this big world-wide and with the America’s Cup media, but local interest was a big failure. There is nothing we can do now. I’m sorry.
“I think if the Italians win, the craziness of Venice and the history of Venice together with the tradition of the America’s Cup will make this event very big. Very interesting.
“I have nothing against the American defenders and the San Diego Yacht Club . . . but it (America’s Cup) must leave this town. It can come back to America. It can go back to Newport, Rhode Island, or go back to the East Coast or go back to Annapolis, Maryland. But no more in San Diego.â€
