The team principal of the British entry for the next America’s Cup but one has called for an independent body to be created to run future competitions and prevent the sort of prolonged court battles that have blighted the 33rd Cup, which will be held as a two-boat regatta in Spain next February.

Alinghi, the holders, and BMW Oracle, the challengers, have been involved in a series of legal cases against each other for more than two years — to the dismay of would-be competitors, sponsors and fans — and Sir Keith Mills, whose Team Origin are competing in a regatta in France this week, said this had to stop.

“Once the next Cup is over in February, we have to put a much better governance structure in place for the Cup after that,” he said. “And then, in the long term, we must make changes to the Deed of Gift to set it in contract for ever.” Amending the 19th-century Deed that governs the race could take some time, as legal contracts do, but Mills is confident that an ad hoc agreement can be made for the 35th Cup, which could be in the autumn of 2011.

“We need an event management team to run the competition on the water and the event on the shore and handle the commercial side. And we need a separate organisation that deals with disputes rather than the courts,” he said.

Team Origin qualified for the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice yesterday after beating Oracle for the second time in five days.