Route 66 is perhaps as iconic as the 4th of July. We still savor thoughts of a simpler time and cooler looking cars. The industrial art of the era was fabulous.
ROUTE 66
Month: June 2014
TEXAS
AMERICA’S CUP: WHY NOT NEWPORT?
FROM SCUTTLEBUTT:
SAN DIEGO, CHICAGO, BERMUDA ARE STILL IN THE RUNNING.
America’s Cup: Why not Newport?
Published on June 9, 2014
Russell Coutts, the CEO of America’s Cup champion Oracle Team USA, announced in January that officials were talking with other venues about hosting the 35th America’s Cup in 2017 because San Francisco officials hadn’t offered sufficient terms to automatically return.
Among the immediate candidates was Newport, RI, which had been closely considered for the 2013 event, and had been home to the event from 1930 to 1983. The venue had several attractive attributes: passionate fans, summer seabreeze, and dedicated facilities.
However, when Coutts announced last week to BBC News that the list had been narrowed to four cities, and Newport wasn’t one of them, we got curious what happened. Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport, which coordinated the bid on behalf of the state and Sail Newport, Rhode Island’s Public Sailing Center, sheds light on situation.
“While disappointed, we remain optimistic to once again be a host site for an America’s Cup World Series event in 2016. We appreciate Russell Coutts and the rest of the America’s Cup team taking the time to evaluate our bid. However, the America’s Cup is a complex event, both on and off the water. Operating under a very tight time frame imposed by the AC Event Authority, we were not comfortable engaging commercial partners with the information that was available in the timeframe required.”
While the 35th America’s Cup match will be held elsewhere, Read is hopeful that Newport will remain in the running to host a preliminary America’s Cup World Series event as the teams prepare for the 35th America’s Cup. The extremely successful America’s Cup World Series event in June 2012 proved that Rhode Island, Newport, and Narragansett Bay can host a yachting event of the highest magnitude.
“With the support of the State of Rhode Island, Fort Adams State Park has been developed into a premiere shore side venue for grand-prix maritime competition,” said Read, noting that Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay are famous around the world for their spectacular sailing conditions.
“Next spring we will host the only North American stopover of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. This event will bring hundreds of sailors, team support staff, race officials and journalists to Newport, along with tens of thousands of sailing and non-sailing fans daily to our wonderful Fort Adams State Park. With the continued cooperation of the Governor’s office and the State Legislature – without which none of this would be possible – we believe we can continue to attract top sailing events, and their considerable economic impact, to the Ocean State.
“The America’s Cup is a part of Newport’s history and vice versa. We will remain in contact with ACEA in hopes that Newport will be considered for an America’s Cup World Series event and to keep open the possibility of hosting an America’s Cup match in the future.”
LIVE OAKS AND SPANISH MOSS
PLANTATIONS ON THE ASHLEY AND DOGS IN THE PARK
As a New Englander, the South has always been an enigma. Try as I might I can only think I understand. While I believe in not forgetting the past; how can we ever move forward as a nation when those in the south still harbor strong feelings for the Confederacy?
The Plantations are wonderful, yet for many they are harsh reminders of a life of cruelty. I cannot rectify the two in my mind. The words of Scarlett O’hara resound: that Tara will rise from the ashes; as will the Confederacy.
Charleston is similarly a city full of life and yet seems to hide dark secrets.
SOUL FOOD IN PETERSBERG
It has become the “new” normal in our household. A new adventure as we set out across the country. This time with stops in Virginia and South Carolina; before turning west.
One of the great disappointments of my youth was never having caught a Luna Moth. Try as I might I was the only one of my friends never to have caught one. I might add they never showed me their prize choosing to taunt me with my failure. Tonight returning to the Motel; there he was a newly hatched Luna Moth on the wall under the light.
AMERICA’S CUP 35 PROTOCOL
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.”
So says ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill as he assesses the competition for the 35th America’s Cup.
Today, the Protocol was released, which defines the rules, format and commercial regulations for the 35th America’s Cup. Entries open on June 9th and close August 8th, 2014, giving prospective teams two months to enter.
The Class Rule for the new AC62 yacht, which has already been shared with teams in draft format, will be issued in the coming days, prior to the entry period opening.
Highlights of the Protocol include:
* A three year racing program from 2015 to 2017 with every race counting towards qualification and/or points in the final America’s Cup Match
* At least six America’s Cup World Series events per year in 2015 and 2016 to be raced in the AC45 class. All teams have an opportunity to host an event in their home country
* An America’s Cup Qualifiers series in 2017 involving all teams, with a bonus point in the America’s Cup Match at stake
* America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs for the top four challenger teams to emerge from the Qualifiers
* The America’s Cup Match, featuring the defender, ORACLE TEAM USA against the top challenger. The first team to win 7 points will win the America’s Cup
* Up to two Youth America’s Cup events providing a pathway for young sailors to join the top rank of professionals
* The new AC62 yacht – a foiling, wing sail catamaran sailed by 8 crew – to be raced in all events in 2017
* A crew nationality rule requiring at least 25% of the AC62 crew to be nationals of the country of their challenge
The Protocol was negotiated between defending champion ORACLE TEAM USA and its Golden Gate Yacht Club and Team Australia’s Hamilton Island Yacht Club, the Challenger of Record.
The 35th America’s Cup builds on the successful elements of the last America’s Cup – fast, exciting racing in foiling multihulls that is challenging for the best sailors in the world and appealing to spectators.
“We are convinced the 35th America’s Cup will surpass previous events in almost every way: more challengers, amazing new boats and a competition structure that will engage and enthrall people over a three year period,” said Mat Belcher, the skipper of Team Australia, the Challenger of Record.
For his part, Spithill is aware that a stronger group of challengers will make it that much more difficult for his team to hold on to the Cup.
“It’s the America’s Cup, so it’s not supposed to be easy, but our goal is to make it a three-peat,” says Spithill, who led his team to victory in 2010 and 2013. “It was so close last time. Battling back to win from being down 8-1 is something we will never forget and I expect it will be just as difficult this time.”
The entry period is open from June 9th to August 8th 2014.