The Billionaire and the Mechanic by Julian Guthrie

Author:Julian Guthrie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Published: 2014-02-17T16:00:00+00:00

On Wednesday, the group boarded Larry’s jet in Valencia for Geneva. Arriving in Geneva, they piled into the back of a black SUV and headed to a law office in downtown Geneva to get papers notarized. It was a hot summer afternoon, and they were greeted in the otherwise empty office by a tall, thin man wearing a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and somber expression. Ehman’s first thought was undertaker. Ehman knew that Ernesto’s yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève, had a regatta on Wednesday nights, so the club would be open late. But the notary was painfully slow. Finally, with everything stamped and copied and assembled into a booklet, he told Ehman it would be 800 Swiss francs.

“Just bill our law firm,” Ehman said, having enlisted the New York firm of Latham & Watkins, which he had used in the 1988 Conner versus Fay lawsuit.

“We only take cash,” the notary said.

“I don’t have that kind of cash on me,” Ehman said.

The man stared impassively, and the forever cool Ehman had to think fast.

“Okay, we’ll have to go to two ATMs to get the cash, and you are coming with us,” Ehman said to the notary as the group rushed out of the office. After the second withdrawal of the daily maximum amount, Ehman sat in the back of the sedan and counted the money for the undertaker. The driver studied the situation in the rearview mirror and asked Ehman, “Would you like me to step out of the car, sir?”

Ehman laughed.

They arrived at the steps of Alinghi’s yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève, founded in 1872 on the shores of Lake Geneva. Ehman, a founding member of the Gstaad Yacht Club, not far away, was known by the club’s general manager and was greeted warmly. Ehman and the others, including the notary, were asked if they’d like to head upstairs, as a board meeting was taking place and they might want to say hello.

“I know you know Fred Meyer, our vice commodore,” the general manager said to Ehman.

Ehman, noticing the America’s Cup trophy on display, thanked the general manager and handed him the notarized letter. The man smiled as if he were receiving a commendation. Ehman quickly snapped the first picture with his small Canon camera. As the general manager continued to read, his expression changed. Ehman snapped the second picture.

The general manager was reading from the challenge cover letter. It read:

We respectfully submit that the challenge from [the Spanish club] CNEV is invalid. Among other deficiencies, it is not from a bona fide yacht club, but from an entity organized in the form of a yacht club only a few days before the challenge was accepted by SNG, and which has never had an annual regatta on an open water course on the sea or an arm of the sea as required by the Deed of Gift. It is also apparent that this “Challenger of Record” has not performed the duties of the Challenger as contemplated

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