Last week it looked as though the America's Cup might finally be getting out of the New York Supreme Court and back into the water -- but now the whole thing is again in legal limbo.

The Societe Nautique De Geneve (SNG), the yacht club through which Ernesto Bertarelli and his Alinghi syndicate hold the America's Cup, has gone back to the New York Supreme Court to appeal against the recent ruling by Justice Kornreich that the Gulf state of Ras Al Khaimah does not meet the requirements of the deed of gift.

Last week Alinghi said it was going back to Valencia in Spain for the February match against Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing syndicate (which is sailing for San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club).

But now Alinghi 5, the giant catamaran built to defend the Cup, is back training and sailing in RAK.

Newspapers in the Gulf region are reporting that the ruler of the shiekdom of RAK is very unhappy with Alinghi's plans to return to Valencia, particularly as they have spent $US120 million building an island to house the two yachts and luxury hotels and villas to house expected spectators.

There is some suggestion that should the appeal on the NY Supreme Court decision to axe RAK be dismissed, the Alinghi team may not be able to move its catamaran out of the Gulf unless some of the monies are repaid.

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) has an absolute ruler whose every whim is followed by his bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Ellison's giant trimaran is impressing observers with the amazing speeds it is generating with its new solid wing sail. It no longer uses a headsail upwind but it is sailing tighter angles and going much faster than it did with its previous soft sails.