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BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR

SANTA IN A HURRY

A closing note about the America’s Cup event in Newport, Rhode Island in June 2012.

PROVIDENCE – A committee to take charge of the many arrangements needed for the America’s Cup World Series regatta slated for Newport next year was formally established Thursday when Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee signed an executive order creating the panel, to be chaired by Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport.

 

“The America’s Cup World Series races have great potential to bring job creation and revenue to Rhode Island,” Chafee said. “Newport has long, strong ties to the America’s Cup and these races renew that historic connection. The host committee established today, led by renowned sailor Brad Read, will help to coordinate important preparation efforts to ensure that this exciting event is thoroughly successful.”

 

Joining the governor at the Statehouse signing ceremony were Read, Russell Coutts, CEO of Oracle Racing, current America’s Cup champion that will defend the title in finals set for San Francisco in 2013, and Richard Worth, chairman and CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority.

 

The America’s Cup World Series Host Committee will serve as the state’s principal entity for coordinating the races and affiliated events. The local committee will coordinate marketing, business outreach, public support, event logistics, traffic, public safety and public infrastructure preparations.

 

The panel will consist of at least 23 members, yet to be named, including representatives of: Aquidneck Island towns; the Newport County Chamber of Commerce; the convention and visitors bureaus based in Providence and in Newport; various state departments; the commercial shipping industry; and the marine industry.

 

The races, featuring high-tech AC45 wing-sailed catamarans, are scheduled for June 23-July 1 in Newport Harbor and will comprise the final event of the first World Series circuit, established to ocean racing during America’s Cup off years.

The local committee will coordinate marketing, business outreach, public support, event logistics, traffic, public safety and public infrastructure preparations. State officials have estimated the event will generate $72 million in new spending and create 400 jobs.

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

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pastedGraphic.pdfSan 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 34th 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