america’s cup – Page 34 – stephenlirakis.com

LITTLE RHODY

‘WE GOT PLAYED’ – THE SAGA OF LITTLE RHODY
By Herb McCormick, yachting journalist
Here in Rhode Island, like last year, and the one before that, it’s been an exceptionally crummy year. In his Saturday column for the Providence Journal, the state’s biggest paper, sportswriter Bill Reynolds summed it up thusly: “Let’s see: high unemployment (about 12% and climbing), the Central Falls school disaster, everyone talking about moving to North Carolina, fear and loathing everywhere you go in R.I. Slink out the door, 2010.”

I grew up here, in Newport, and my dad’s longtime bookie, Nickie C at the old Cliff Walk Manor, would’ve wished the year farewell in similar fashion with his favorite expression: “Don’t let the screen door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

So when the news came down late on New Year’s Eve that the America’s Cup had been awarded to San Francisco after an 11th hour bid by the state to lure it to Newport, it seemed like the inevitable capper to a crappy year. As I watched the new flash on the tube a single word leapt to mind: “Perfect.”

A more accurate analysis was put forth in the “comments” section of the online story in the next morning’s ProJo. It was the first in a long string of like-minded assessments from folks who don’t happen to live by the water and who saw through the sham from the outset. I can’t remember if it was Vinnie from Cranston or Paulie from Pawtucket or Rocco from Woonsocket but it doesn’t really matter. Vinnie or Rocco or whoever it was absolutely nailed it: “We got played.”

Yo, Vinnie. Truth, brother.

Over the holidays I watched an old Charlie Brown Christmas special with my daughter. I love the fact that the “adults” never actually speak…you know they’re saying something by the single, repeated, droning note of an oboe or something: “Wah, wah, wah…”

A lot of good people put a lot of effort into trying to bring the Cup “home,” and though I tried to tell everyone who brought it up that there was an EXTREMELY strong possibility that we were being used as a negotiating tool for the ongoing talks in San Fran (not to mention the fact that finding the money that was being bandied about in a state on the brink of insolvement was going to be, um, tricky), optimism was high. There is little hope in RI at the moment (ironically, “Hope” is the state’s motto), and the possibility of a flood of jobs and tourists and development was strong ju-ju. Like, man, we needed this. Bad.

And in the aftermath of the decision, a lot of politicians and an Oracle spokesman were quoted about how close we’d come, and how cool that was, and what little doucats we might get tossed our way if this or that might happen down the road. But it all sounded like a lecture to Linus to me: “Wah, wah, wah, wah, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.” Noise. More noise. Endless noise.

Anyway, congratulations San Francisco. You’ll put on a hell of a regatta in the prettiest city on the planet. Honestly, when we first heard that the Cup was coming to Northern California, we were overjoyed.

Then, suddenly and dramatically, we were part of the discussion, and we allowed ourselves the luxury of dreaming, hoping against hope we weren’t in the crossfires of shysters and soundbites.

But here in hapless Little Rhody, the song remains the same. We got played.

34th AMERICA’S CUP SAN FRANCISCO PROMO

IT’S SAN FRANCISCO

The announcement came a short time ago from the Golden Gate Yacht Club; San Francisco will host the next America’s Cup.

Wishing one and all a safe, happy and healthy new year

America’s Cup organizers confirm San Francisco has won bid for race

Comments (1)

pastedGraphic.pdf San Francisco has won the hard-fought bid to host sailing’s most prestigious race, the America’s Cup, the yacht race organizers have announced. (Getty Images file photo)

San Francisco has won the hard-fought bid to host sailing’s most prestigious race, the America’s Cup, the yacht race organizers have announced.

The announcement that San Francisco ‘s proposal topped other interested locations, such as Rhode Island and Italy, came after months of negotiations that included debates over tax breaks, land rights and the future development of San Francisco’s piers.

Billionaire Larry Ellison’s team, BMW-Oracle Racing which is based at the Golden Gate Yacht Club, won the last America’s Cup race in February. With the cup came the right to determine all of the specifics for the next race, expected to be held in 2013, including the location.

Though race organizers had been in discussions recently with Rhode Island over an alternate, it became increasingly clear in recent days that San Francisco would win the opportunity to host, as Rhode Island officials said they would not be able to endorse a bid in time for the team’s self-imposed Dec. 31 deadline.

The race could draw hundreds of thousands of people to the Bay Area to watch the international race, which lays claim to the oldest trophy in modern sports. Some economic analyses have estimated the race could bring the Bay Area over $1 billion in tourism and team-related money.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose staff worked through the winter holidays to negotiate the final details of the bid, said the selection represents a “tremendous opportunity to showcase sailing in the magnificent amphitheater of San Francisco Bay.”

“The selection of San Francisco today to host the 34^th America’s Cup marks the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter for our city and for the sport of sailing,” he said in an emailed statement.

Though sources close to the negotiations had confirmed to the San Francisco Examiner that the bid was a done deal early in the day, America’s Cup officials waited until late afternoon on New Years Eve to break the news officially.

“We sought a venue that fulfills our promise – to showcase the best sailors in the world competing on the fastest boats,” said Richard Worth, Chairman of America’s Cup Event Authority in an emailed statement. “And hosting the America’s Cup in San Francisco will realize that promise.“

The deal to bring the cup to San Francisco will likely make Ellison an even richer man, as The City has offered his team long-term development rights to acres of waterfront property, in exchange for bringing the race to the San Francisco Bay. Though Ellision’s team must make an initial investment into the waterfront, The City will pay that investment back in the form of free rent for decades.

San Francisco has also offered Ellison millions in city services to support the 2013 race.

kworth@sfexaminer.com

DEADLINE LOOMING

Newport still craving the America’s Cup. However have just announced that they are not ready to meet the deadline of December 31, 2010

What are the REAL numbers for economic impact of the America’s Cup on a city? Valencia built a waterfront/America’s Cup venue that should be the envy of the sailing world. Where are they now?

America’s Cup campaigns have exhibited a feeling that nothing can ever be good enough. I can remember a time when a crew shirt was about all you got when sailing on an America’s Cup boat.

San Francisco presented a very thorough study and Alameda has indicated that the city is ready willing and able to help San Francisco in it’s effort to secure the races.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Newport estimates impact of hosting 2013 America’s Cup at $1.1 billion

By William Hamilton

PBN Staff Writer

Twitter: @waham

?(Updated, 3:30 p.m.)

NEWPORT – A new study estimates the impact of hosting the 2013 America’s Cup finals to be $1.1 billion for Rhode Island, with the international event spurring the creation of 7,867 jobs.

The study, commissioned by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce and released Wednesday, paints a picture of an America’s Cup event that could have far-reaching effects on the region, with racing syndicates, super yachts and wealthy tourists descending on the Ocean State.

The 17-page report, assembled by Providence-based accounting firm Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. Ltd, projects that every hotel room within a 50-mile radius of Newport would be rented leading up to the finals.

Sailing spectators would visit other local tourist destinations during the down times between races, the report said.

“It is not unreasonable to expect visitors to drive over to Point Judith or Narragansett, visit the vineyards, or even run into the Providence Place mall for some shopping and finish with dinner on Atwells Avenue,” it said.

The 7,867 new jobs would be distributed among several sectors, including lodging, restaurant, retail, transportation and entertainment, the study said.

America’s Cup organizers are considering holding the 2013 races in Newport as negotiations with the San Francisco leaders have sputtered. Race officials have said they want to announce the race site by Friday.

Following the release of the report Wednesday, Gov.-elect Lincoln D. Chafee said in a statement that the America’s Cup would a “tremendous shot in the arm” and that he had been communicating with race officials and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation through the holiday weekend.

But he added that he wanted to see cost estimates and “other appropriate diligence” before developing a position and course of action.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday officials in that city feel more confident that San Francisco is back in serious contention as the race site.

Sailing’s most prestigious race was last contested in Newport in 1983 when the New York Yacht Club lost the Cup to an Australian syndicate, ending a streak of victories dating back to 1851.

In developing its economic estimates, Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co. said it only considered the three-month period surrounding the race finals, not the series of regattas that will be held ahead of the main event.

The report estimated the economic impact from direct race participants – the teams, sponsors, super yachts and race management – to be $499.7 million and $849.3 million factoring in a “multiplier effect.”

The impact from tourism is projected to be $122.1 million and $225.1 million when considering a multiplier effect.

The races would boost Rhode Island’s tax revenues by an estimated $18.9 million.

But the event would also require improvements at Fort Adams State Park, which organizers would like to use as a hub for race activities. The historic fort overlooks the East Passage of Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor.

The study said the work would cost the state $33.2 million – $23.2 million for renovations in the fort and another $10 million for work along the waterfront outside the fort, including dock installation.

“These are improvements that have a long-term benefit, as an improved state park will likely attract other events in the future,” the report said. “However, the dollars need to be spent now.”

The EDC has hired a design and engineering team that includes the Louis Berger Group, Newport Collaborative Architects Inc. and Gates, Leighton & Associates to develop plans and cost estimates.

EDC Executive Director Keith Stokes has acknowledged that complete cost estimates and identification of funding sources won’t be ready before the Friday deadline, but he hoped race organizers would give Newport a conditional approval.

The best argument I’ve heard for Newport as host of the AC

While this is indeed the most compelling argument I have read for bringing the America’s Cup to Newport, there is a very big difference between One boat using Newport as a base and an America’s Cup event. An America’s Cup event in Newport would disrupt life here in ways we cannot imagine. I much prefer to see boats being built and launched here.

Can Newport and the state of Rhode Island afford to spend the money to bring the Cup here? Do the numbers really make sense? Will it really increase employment in a meaningful way? Not just part time jobs.

COULD THIS BE NEW ENGLAND’S BEST CHRISTMAS EVER?

Ken Read is a resident of Newport and is the CEO and Skipper of PUMA Ocean

Racing – a sailing team built to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race. He is

also the Vice President of North Sails Group LLC. Here he shares his

excitement on the possibility of the America’s Cup coming to his town:

———————————————————————-

Rhode Island needs the America’s Cup, and has the opportunity within its

grasp to do so. An amazing last minute organizational effort between many

different state and private organizations has made Rhode Island a front

runner in the race to be the venue for the 2013 America’s Cup.

At first glance it would appear that I am the most biased person in the

state to write an editorial in support of the America’s Cup coming to Rhode

Island. I grew up in this area, and have sailed on Narragansett Bay my whole

life. I moved to Newport in the infamous summer of 1983 and witnessed

firsthand the removal of the America’s Cup from our shores. Since then I

have had the good fortune to be a part of dozens of world class sailboat

racing teams including skippering Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup bids on two

separate occasions.

Over the past three years I have served as the CEO and Skipper of PUMA Ocean

Racing, the Volvo Ocean Race entry of the sports-lifestyle company PUMA. The

Volvo Ocean Race is considered as one of the big three sailing events in the

world, along with the Olympics and the America’s Cup.

I am proud to say that PUMA Ocean Racing is the second largest professional

sailboat racing team in the United States, second only in size and success

to BMW-Oracle Racing, the holder of the America’s Cup. Like all professional

teams we had a choice on where we wanted to organize, train and build our

program. We chose Rhode Island.

Why did we choose Rhode Island?

First of all, Rhode Island has a marine trade industry that helped us create

a racing program that can successfully compete against the best in the

world.

Secondly, we can keep the construction, design and engineering of our

programs major components literally within driving distance of our

waterfront base, located at the Newport Shipyard since 2007.

And finally, we are a five-minute sail from some of the best sailing grounds

in the world that we use for training, testing and racing.

What does this all mean to the State of Rhode Island? Thanks to these three

major attributes PUMA Ocean Racing has spent over 20 million dollars in

Rhode Island in the past three years. This sum has covered the fundamental

components’ of a program our size such as design and engineering, boat and

mast construction, sails, rigging, housing, and food. Not to mention the

influx of cash that our employees and their families spend to live their

daily lives. And this is money that represents a few cents on the dollar

compared to what the America’s Cup would bring to the region.

My point takes a twist though, and I sincerely hope that our governmental

leaders and citizens understand a second crucial point. The decision to

spend money on infrastructure to lure the America’s Cup has very little to

do with the sport of sailing as a whole, and has everything to do with good

business. — Read on:

http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=11021

BMW PULLS OUT OF THE AMERICA’S CUP/ SAN FRANCISCO STILL WANTS THE RACES

The following is written by James Boyd

At the end of the year BMW will bring to a close its longstanding partnership with Oracle Racing and thereby end its involvement in the America’s Cup. This is by mutual agreement of both partners. Both parties set ambitious goals and achieved the ultimate objective: winning the America’s Cup.

BMW has partnered BMW Oracle Racing since 2002. Technology and skills have transferred freely between the automaker and sailing team, most notably in the fields of structural engineering and high-modulus composite construction. The result was celebrated in the February when the team’s wing sail trimaran USA 17, the fastest yacht in the history of the America’s Cup, won the 33rd Match with a 2:0 victory off Valencia, Spain.

“On the design and engineering front, BMW engineers set new benchmarks in terms of intelligent lightweight design,” said Ralf Hussmann, General Manager BMW Sports Marketing and Brand Cooperation. “In winning the 33rd America’s Cup, we achieved all of our ambitious goals. We will continue to be involved in the sport on a national level.”

“The America’s Cup combines a technological challenge with a sporting one and success is measured by the result on the race course,” added Russell Coutts CEO of BMW Oracle Racing “In that sense, both the team and BMW are proud that our collaboration resulted in victory.”

“WE ARE IN THE RED ZONE”

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is working around the clock in a last-ditch

effort to keep the city’s bid for the America’s Cup alive – even as Larry

Ellison openly courts Newport, R.I. “We are in the red zone,” Newsom said

Tuesday evening. San Francisco’s bid for the 2012 race took a sudden dive

last week when Team Ellison began talking very publicly with Newport about

holding the race there.

“I would like to believe that our deal was not used as a negotiating

strategy to leverage a deal in Rhode Island,” said Supervisor Ross

Mirkarimi, a key backer of San Francisco’s bid. That’s exactly what is

happening, however. Although everyone is trying to keep on the high road,

the folks at City Hall are anything but smiles as they try to deal with

Ellison’s group.

According to Newsom, the negotiations are not over what piers to use or how

much public money to spend, but rather about tax increment financing and

other financial details. “This is a billion-dollar economics package, with

thousands of jobs and a big investment by their organization. I can

understand their need for certainty,” Newsom said.

“I’ve been on the phone steadily for the past five days,” the mayor said.

“The one thing we can’t afford to do is get petulant and throw up our hands

or start pointing fingers.” Besides, there will be plenty of time for that

if Ellison raises the anchor and heads east. — SF Chronicle,

http://tinyurl.com/SFC-122210

METAPHORS: San Francisco supporters should be concerned about Newsom’s

comment of being “in the red zone.” This phrase, which references a football

team’s ability to score inside the 20 yard line, has not been a strength of

his town’s team. As of December 23rd, the San Francisco 49ers ranked 23rd

out of 32 NFL teams in red zone scoring percentage. As for Newport, which

typically cheers for the New England Patriots, their team is ranked third

overall.

MORE NEWSOM: “They (GGYC) seemed dissatisfied with some key components of

our bid,” said Newsom. “We’ve been working aggressively behind the scenes to

address those concerns.” Newsom would not say what specifically changed, but

the Board of Supervisors has given the Mayor’s Office the power to make

amendments as long as the major components of the agreement remain intact.

— SF Examiner: http://tinyurl.com/SFE-122210

RHODE ISLAND RALLY: Supporter came out for a Rally to Host the 2013

America’s Cup on Wednesday morning at the Marriott in Newport, RI, where

Sail Newport Executive Director Brad Read encouraged the crowd to embrace

this opportunity. “We believe in Narragansett Bay as the premier tourist

attraction that Rhode Island has,” said Read. “We want to make sure that we

run the best events, the most worldwide recognizable events that we can. I

think Narragansett Bay is the perfect backdrop for the America’s Cup.” Watch

video from the event here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF2drHLbkSQ

MORE READ: Sailing World magazine’s Stuart Streuli caught up with Brad after

the rally to grill him on the details. Here is the interview:

http://tinyurl.com/SW-122210

TICK TOCK: The America’s Cup defender Golden Gate Yacht Club is required by

the Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup to declare the venue location by

December 31st. While there are provisions to amend the Protocol so as to

extend this deadline, it would not be a popular move. GGYC is already

considered to have a technical advantage, thus challenging teams are eager

to focus their design strategy on the selected venue. Additionally, the

selected venue will determine whether prospective challengers can seek

suitable sponsorship for them to enter the event. —

http://tinyurl.com/AC-122210

the latest AC dope? a moving target

This is from sailing anarchy, I still believe that Newport should be careful what they wish for. Valencia has a purpose built venue, empty. It seems that the AC community wants their cake and eat it as well.

ac dope

a change we can live with?

The absolute shitstorm of meetings, public statements, news reports and lobbying over the location for the 34th America’s Cup is massively it is impacting the goals so loftily sought out by Messrs. Ellison and Coutts.

We’ve gone from an event that will revolutionize the public perception of sailing, that will grab the ‘Facebook Generation’s’ interest and introduce the sport to millions of new people to something that is only going to work if it can be hosted cheaply and easily.

That’s BMW/Oracle’s stated reason for the world’s third richest man ditching San Francisco: The deal left him on the hook for far too much cash if the event didn’t make any money or if the sponsorship dollars didn’t materialize.

We’ve said from the very, very beginning that Ellison could succeed at his goal of changing the face of the Cup and sailing in the US only through a very careful and expensive process that guaranteed maximum eyeballs watching a completely new presentation of the kind of racing that few have ever seen. His success would depend absolutely on a well-prepared and promoted venue, on participation of a half dozen solid teams, and on him paying whatever it costs to bring in network television and fully integrate it with the web and the dozens of new distribution channels.

But something has changed – something big – and it looks as though the team may have given up on the vision, working instead on getting something ironed out in much less desirable and accessible Newport and proceeding with the plans for a traveling circus.

So what happened? Is this the final step of Tom Ehman’s decades-old plan to get the Cup back to Newport where he first worked with the NYYC? Is the team finally getting enoughpressure from Grant Dalton and the other CEOs to get it sorted or they are out? Are Larry and Russell sick and tired of trying to do something special for an ungrateful sailing public, or sick of trying to make San Francisco work for a government that didn’t appreciate the opportunity?

One thing is for sure: Considering the volume of cash that Larry Ellison has spent on not only previous Cups but numerous projects throughout his lifetime, it ain’t about the money. But considering the glee with which the ‘yachting establishment’ up in the Northeast is tossing lifelines to Ehman & Co, perhaps it is about something far simpler, far older, and far more in keeping with the AC being unable to escape being an ancient and obsolete competition for the super rich…and not the public. After all, San Fran is like the nouveau riche guy ostracized by the real old money folks that built America…and had their summer homes in Newport.

But hell, who knows? Galway is almost as isolated as Newport, and they had hundreds of thousands of visitors to that small Irish town for the Volvo stopover. Larry can still accomplish his TV-based goals if he gets some good competitors and they sail in the confined waters of Narragansett Bay with innovative coverage tachniques. It could work. Ok, It probably won’t, but it could. So maybe there won’t be billions for a region, but there would be lots of good yachting jobs coming up in Rhode Island, a great time to be the skipper of a rich NYers powerboat or a canvas guy…

Check the Newport thread here for some light reading and the SF thread here. Pack a lunch.

It’s back to San Francisco

as we suspected San Francisco has conceded (not their word). It is likely that the city will lose money hosting the America’s Cup. Newport may get a pre regatta event. Honestly it is all Newport could handle. I doubt Newport could have found the resources to host the America’s Cup. In the end things turned out for the best. This story is not finished in my opinion.

Is anyone else tired of this story?

THE AMERICA’S CUP COMING TO NEWPORT ?

The latest scuttlebutt is that San Francisco is in jeopardy of losing the America’s cup races. Tom Ehman is coming back east to speak with Keith Stokes in Newport, RI.

My reaction to this : “Be careful what you wish for”. Newport, nor Rhode Island does not have the resources to host an America’s Cup as is expected in today’s world. Newport might be able to handle an “Act” ( an event leading up to the AC). Like so many things in life; we shall see. I still believe it will end up in Italy.

San Francisco in danger of losing America’s Cup

(AP) – 1 day ago

San Francisco has been told it will lose the right to host the next America’s Cup unless a deal is signed by Friday.

The warning came in a letter the Golden Gate Yacht Club sent to Mayor Gavin Newsom and other officials on Saturday.

America’s Cup official Stephen Barclay said he considered San Francisco to have come up with the winning bid in early November, when city officials and the yacht club negotiated an agreement that was then sent to the Board of Supervisors to begin the approval process.

But he said the Port Commission recently changed key points in the agreement that would put too much of a financial risk on the America’s Cup Event Authority, which has been contracted by the GGYC to run the regatta.

The Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee will hold a final hearing Monday, and the full board is expected to vote on the agreement Tuesday.

“They’re holding on by their fingernails at the moment,” Barclay told The Associated Press on Saturday from his home in Auckland, New Zealand. “It was theirs to lose and they were told that.”

Barclay said the GGYC — which sponsors America’s Cup champion BMW Oracle Racing — set the deadline because the America’s Cup Event Authority is committed to informing participating teams of the venue choice by Dec. 31.

BMW Oracle Racing swept Alinghi of Switzerland in two races off Valencia, Spain, in February to return the oldest trophy in international sports to the United States for the first time since 1995.

San Francisco officials have estimated that hosting the America’s Cup would be worth $1.4 billion in economic benefits and create 8,000 jobs.

Barclay said the GGYC has reopened talks with Italy to hold the America’s Cup in 2013. He added that Tom Ehman, a member of the GGYC’s board of directors, was en route to Newport, R.I., to reopen talks with officials there. Ehman also is a member of the New York Yacht Club, which defended the America’s Cup in Newport from 1930 until 1983, when Dennis Conner was beaten by Australia.

Barclay is chief operating officer of BMW Oracle Racing and a member of the GGYC’s America’s Cup Committee. BMW Oracle Racing is owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, whose Oracle Corp. is based in Redwood City, south of San Francisco. Ellison also owns a mansion in Newport.

Italy is in the mix because Club Nautico di Roma is the Challenger of Record, which represents the interests of all challengers.

There might even be a third option. BMW Oracle Racing officials are said to have remained in the United Arab Emirates following the recent Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, perhaps to initiate talks about the America’s Cup being sailed in the Middle East.

Newsom’s spokesman, Tony Winnicker, confirmed receipt of the letter from Barclay.

“We’re confident we’ll put forward the best possible bid for the team to consider well in advance of the date it has set,” Winnicker said.

Winnicker said the city will consider the GGYC’s recommendations in the letter. The original agreement included a pledge by the city for a local America’s Cup Organizing Committee to help raise $270 million in corporate sponsorship money to help defray the estimated $300 million cost of the regatta, and a commitment by the America’s Cup Event Authority to spend $150 million to refurbish certain piers south of the Bay Bridge in exchange for future development rights.

Barclay said the Port changed the agreement to include piers north of the Bay Bridge and changed the terms of the long-term leases. He added that the pledge of help in raising the $270 million in sponsorship is just that — “a promise, not a guarantee.” He said that pledge was in lieu of San Francisco paying a fee to earn the hosting rights. Valencia, he said, paid $85 million for the 2007 America’s Cup and guaranteed approximately $50 million in sponsorships.

“All of us recognize that having the event on the bay, which really is a natural amphitheater, would just be a fantastic place to hold the America’s Cup,” Barclay said. “That said, the arrangements can’t put at risk the event itself.”

City officials responded Saturday with a letter to Barclay, saying they believe the northern proposal has a greater net development value than the original agreement and will dramatically lower the event authority’s upfront investment costs.

“We believe that the city’s bid, subject to any final changes imposed by the Board of Supervisors during its deliberations, offers remarkable opportunities for the America’s Cup,” the letter said in part. It was signed by Jennifer Matz, director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and Monique Moyer, the port director.

While aware of the city’s financial woes, Barclay said Cup officials were “exasperated” with the changes.

Winnicker said he understands that San Francisco’s process for doing business can be frustrating to some.

“We have always believed that this is a serious competition,” Winnicker said. “We believe this would be an unmatched opportunity for the America’s Cup right here in San Francisco. We’re going through this because we want to win. We want to bring it here.”

SIR BOB FISHER?

c class 8 27 10 14387 — cam lewis, bob fisher, dan nerney watching the "C" cats in september

Bob Fisher, long time yachting journalist, author, sailor is rumored to be proposed for a knighthood. I have known Bob for more than 40 years. He was loud, brash, acute in his observations, and keen on the sport of sailing. He always embraced controversy; which leads me to my next thought: Ben Ansilie’s musings on the future of the America’s Cup and sailing.

DOUBTS CONTINUE OVER NEW AMERICA’S CUP FORMAT

Ben Ainslie worries about his “wasted years”. The British sailing legend,

who has won three Olympic gold medals, is fearful of losing his long-time

America’s Cup dream. He feels BMW Oracle’s decision to switch from

traditional monohulls to multihulled catamarans might have serious

implications for a generation of the world’s finest match racers.

“I have to say [the decision] was very disappointing,” says Ainslie. “Guys

like myself have spent the last 10-15 years learning the game and learning

how to match race big monohulls in the hope of being competitive in the

America’s Cup. It feels like it is all wasted because the game has changed.

I think that match racing will be a very small part of the next regatta. It

will mostly be about trying to develop the fastest boat possible.”

Ainslie was the reserve skipper for Team New Zealand from 2005 before

switching to the British-based Team Origin after the 2007 campaign in

Valencia. Along with previous holders Alinghi, Origin have announced they

will not be mounting a challenge in 2013. Team owner Sir Keith Mills cannot

see a future with the proposed new format.

Ainslie wonders about Oracle’s stated vision of bigger, faster, better. “I

think their No1 vision is to retain the Cup,” he says bluntly. “Their second

vision is make it as commercially viable as possible from a television point

of view so the broadcasting and sponsorship rights are worth that much more.

I just wonder how well multihulls and winged sails will lend itself to match

racing.”

America’s Cup veteran Peter Gilmour has a similarly dim view of the

competition’s prospects. Gilmour, a consultant to Alinghi in 2007, has been

at the forefront of Cup campaigns since 1992, sees the format change as a

bold move. “To effectively wipe out 160 years of match racing and go into

catamaran sailing is just remarkable to me,” he says. “It’s incredibly brave

and ballsy, especially given the closeness of the event in 2007.

“They are driven by a desire to defend successfully,” says Gilmour. “If you

give someone a monopoly in circumstances such as this then, of course, they

are going to go out and exploit their monopoly. Switching the event from

2014 to 2013 and the fact Oracle control all the knowledge around winged

sails mean that, unfortunately, all of the other teams are just going to be

turning up to be part of the process; to put on a good show.”

The Australian also feels that the Oracle experiment will ultimately be

short-lived. “I have no doubt the America’s Cup will eventually transition

back to monohulls. — NZ Herald, complete story:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10692123

It seems that we have arrived at a juncture in the sport. How did we get here? Is no one looking forward? Are we just reacting on a daily basis? Finally does anyone really care? Sailing does not contribute any any meaningful way to our everyday lives.