Prada-Designer Doug Peterson Relieved of Duties

Prada Challenge syndicate chief
Patrizio Bertelli

Citing a difference of opinion in how to tune its two new America’s Cup Class sloops, the Prada Challenge syndicate chief Patrizio Bertelli said design director, Doug Peterson, has been relieved from his duties.

“Doug has not been fired,” Bertelli said at an early morning press conference. “He has been demoted from his position. We had a difference of opinion on the boat development program. “It was a unanimous decision that we had been thinking about for quite some time,” Bertelli added. “We still enjoy a normal relationship.”

Bertelli credited Peterson, design director for Prada Challenge since it was formed in February 1997, with creating the team’s two new ACC sloops, ITA-74 and ITA-80. “Both of the boats were designed by Doug,” Bertelli said. “We have one person who designs and models the yachts.

Luna Rossa, ITA-74, lost its first race of Louis Vuitton Cup 2003, a 42-second defeat to Oracle BMW Racing. There’s a belief that Bertelli, renowned for impulsive decision making, decided to remove Peterson due to the loss and because he was unhappy with the performance of the boat.

During America’s Cup 2000, Bertelli issued a press release titled “Suicidal Tactics” after Prada lost a race in which it held the early lead after splitting tacks from Team New Zealand. “The decision was not related to the performance of the boats,” Bertelli said. “We’ve lost one race by about 40 seconds. So it’s certainly far too early into the series to assess the performance of the boats.

“The situation is not as bad as depicted,” Bertelli said. “We’re under close scrutiny. We’re under everyone’s attention because we won the Louis Vuitton Cup.” The Prada Challenge has been engulfed in rumours the past few weeks. There have been reports that the second Luna Rossa, ITA-80, suffered structural problems that developed from intense heat across the equator as the boat was delivered to Auckland on a container ship. “I never heard about this rumour before,” Bertelli said. “Maybe the sun across the equator was very harmful for someone’s brain, but not the boat.”

Also, team member Gavin Brady, a back-up helmsman and afterguard member, was reportedly fired Wednesday morning. The team wouldn’t comment on the situation other than to say that his contract was under review. Today, Brady was aboard the tune-up boat as it left ViaductHarbour.

Bertelli said there wouldn’t be one person in particular filling Peterson’s role. Prada’s boat design team totals 10 people, including David Egan, technology director, Ian Howlett, research and design, and Juan Kouyoumdjian, naval architecture. “The design team is united,” Bertelli said. “They all have the same purpose. There’s no need for a single director at this time.”

Former Prada designer
Doug Peterson

Peterson declined comment immediately after the press conference, but later participated in a question and answer session that lasted approximately 15 minutes at the America’s Cup Louis Vuitton Media Centre. Following is the transcript of that session.

Peterson opening comments:

First of all, this is going to be very short because I’m not much into questions about this. I just want to make a short statement about it. There’s been a lot of speculation about Bertelli and what’s going on with the team and everything. This is an internal thing with the team. Bertelli has the ability to do what he wants, to make these decisions about the team. He has the right to do that. He does have two fast boats. I wish him success in the event.

Were you sacked or did you walk?
I was terminated.

He said you were demoted.
No. That’s not correct. That’s not what the termination letter says.

He said you were still fairly chummy; you go out for meals...
No. He said I could be there as a guest, which is fine. That’s nice. But really that’s more or less, I guess only, it has nothing to do with working for Prada.

Do you feel that he’s convinced that the boats are not fast and that there’s a problem with them?
Well, he seems to be.

And you haven’t been able to convince him that you can solve that problem, if there is one?
I don’t want to get into too much. Not really. He doesn’t consult me on it anyway. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I wish them success. I think they’ll do OK. They have the ability to win it. Obviously they have to work on it a little bit.

You must be sad that you’re leaving right at the moment when things are getting exciting?
Do I have to answer that? I don’t know. What am I supposed to say? It was his choice.

Was the factor boat performance or crew performance?
I think it might have to do with … It takes time to get a boat sailing up to the 97, 98 percent of its potential. Sometimes that takes time and hard work. I can believe that’s mainly the problem they have. But other teams have it, too. There are several teams that are already up there at a high level, you know that doesn’t mean that all the boats won’t slowly come together. It happens usually in the Cup where the people that start off slightly down end up figuring it out and getting either better or very close. I think that’s what’s going to happen to them.

Mr. Bertelli said this morning that the problems with you and the rest of the team started several months ago. What is your comment?
Take that for whatever. No comment.

You talked about getting (the boats) up to 98 percent, where is the performance at the moment?
I don’t know. Compared to others, I think we have speed against most of them, but obviously you want to have speed against the best. That’s what you have to do. They’re good sailors and Francesco (de Angelis, skipper) is a fighter. He’s very good. In the end they’ll squeeze out the performance they need to perform well.

Is there any link at all between the dispute over the design of boat and the sailing of boat which involves not just you but Gavin Brady? Is there any link between the two personnel problems within Prada?

No. I don’t want to comment about the relationship with Gavin. That’s an internal thing with Prada. I don’t think it’s anybody else’s business. There’s not a link. No.

The fact that the boats were late arriving here in Auckland, is that something to do with you?
I think that was a choice. That was a team decision. That’s a choice you can make. You can arrive early and learn or spend more time designing. That was the choice.

You had more time to design?
Yeah. But then you start off at a slightly lower percentage. It’s similar to the Young America boats last time. They came very late and never quite got to their full potential.

Do you think they’ll change the boat now?
The (America’s Cup Class) rule is open now. I think you better discuss that with them. I think they probably will. Most people keep improving. The design process never stops. So they’re still going ahead improving the design.

Something happened the last few days?
It really had nothing to do with losing the first race. Like Patrizio said, it’s an ongoing sort of thing, from his standpoint.

Other teams in turmoil?
I don’t think it’s so much in turmoil. I think it was mostly him against me. I don’t think there’s turmoil in the team. It’s a very strong team. Like I said, they’re fighters.

People have made a lot of the fact that it’s a very, very big design team in Prada which you were trying to lead. Is it possible the team lost sight of where it was going?
Well it is difficult when you’re dealing with a lot of personalities, keeping everybody happy and everything. That’s always a problem in a big team. We had that in 1992 (with Bill Koch’s America3), there was quite a lot of controversy also. We still were able to win the Cup in spite the controversy.

What disappoints you the most?
That I’m not participating in the event. I’m not on the chase boat. That’s a disappointment. I feel somewhat robbed of that.

Do you feel you’re being scapegoated for other problems inside the team? Do you feel this is an exercise in blame management?
No. I don’t think so. Patrizio’s not happy with it. He has the right to terminate anybody he wants. That happens all the time in business and sport and everything else.


Peterson was the common denominator between the first 1992 and 1995 America’s Cup winners and has also won the Louis Vuitton Cup twice. Peterson was a member of Bill Koch’s America3 design team that successfully defended the Cup for the San Diego Yacht Club in ‘92. He was part of the in-house faction that pushed for a narrow boat, particularly on the waterline, which proved successful in the lumpy Pacific Ocean.

He then joined Team New Zealand for its successful challenge in ‘95 when it lifted the Cup from San Diego. Joining Laurie Davidson and Tom Schnackenberg, Team New Zealand’s boats lost just three races on the water between the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup.

Peterson teamed with Argentine German Frers, his son Mani Frers and others to create Prada’s two Luna Rossa’s for the 1999-2000 Cup. Luna Rossa, ITA-45, won its first 13 races of Louis Vuitton Cup 2000. Overall, the team’s two boats posted a 38-10 record en route to winning the Louis Vuitton Cup. But Prada got shut out in the 30thAmerica’s Cup Match 5-0 by Team New Zealand, Peterson’s old employers.

Born in 1945 in Los Angeles, California, Peterson began designing boats in the early 1970s. His first creation, Ganbare, dates back to 1973. From 1974 to 1981, he dominated the IOR racing scene, winning all the key events on the international circuits.