The Auld Mug, as the ornate silver jug is also known, now belongs to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club.
BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts, who has quite a bit of experience at winning the America’s Cup, popped the cork on a magnum of champagne and sprayed his boss, as well as tactician John Kostecki and skipper-helmsman Jimmy Spithill of Australia.
A blizzard of blue and silver confetti blew across the stage and fireworks went off across Port America’s Cup, a festive ending to a tumultuous period. Ellison, the 65-year-old CEO of Oracle Corp., and Babson College-educated rival Ernesto Bertarelli - two of the world’s wealthiest men - had been locked in a court fight since July 2007.
Asked if the Americans planned to drop litigation pending against the Swiss in the New York State Supreme Court, Ellison said: “The only thing we ever wanted was to beat Alinghi on the water with a fair set of rules. And that’s what we got today.’’
Bertarelli wasn’t at the handover ceremony, but he and Ellison briefly shook hands when the Swiss exited the postrace news conference.
The biotech mogul became the first European to win the America’s Cup in 2003 with a victory over Team New Zealand, and defended it against the Kiwis in 2007.
The America’s Cup has been away from US shores for 15 years, the longest drought since the schooner America won the silver trophy by beating a fleet of British ships around the Isle of Wight in 1851. Dennis Conner lost it in 1995 to Team New Zealand and Coutts, now a four-time America’s Cup winner.
Ellison and Kostecki were the only Americans on BMW Oracle’s crew for the clincher. The massive sailboat was steered by Spithill, who at age 30 was sailing in his fourth America’s Cup.
“The boys are just absolutely lit up,’’ Spithill said as the boat headed into port in the Valencian dusk. “Larry’s stoked, Russell’s stoked, and we just can’t wait to get back to shore to celebrate.’’
